Gautam Gambhir Harshit Rana. Image Credits: X
Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth was left stunned by Harshit Rana’s fearless batting in the third ODI against New Zealand in Indore, saying the young all-rounder’s power-hitting gave Virat Kohli belief when India were staring at defeat.
Although India eventually lost the match and the series, Rana’s knock alongside Kohli’s stood out as one of the few encouraging moments in a difficult chase.
India were chasing a steep target of 338 after New Zealand piled on runs, powered by centuries from Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips.
Early wickets put India under pressure, and at one stage the chase looked all but over. That is when Harshit Rana stepped up and turned the match into a contest.
Srikkanth praises Harshit Rana’s batting skills
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Krishnamachari Srikkanth praised Virat Kohli’s century but reserved special words for Harshit Rana’s attacking approach, which he felt completely changed the mood of the game.
"Virat Kohli is King of Kings. Bow down to him. What a knock! If you look at the scorecard and the fall of wickets, they fell continuously. It was 1/28, 2/45, 3/68 and 4/71. Nitish Kumar Reddy came and steadied the innings and later hit sixes. But the real game-changer was Harshit Rana," Srikkanth said.
Srikkanth pointed out that wickets kept falling at the other end, but Rana’s clean hitting unsettled the New Zealand bowlers.
He cleared the ropes with ease, striking four sixes and four boundaries, and showed that he has the strength and confidence India have been searching for in the lower order.
"The way Rana was batting, New Zealand players were shivering. I was amazed by Rana’s batting and performed at a different level. They were literally shaking and didn’t know what to do. He was hitting sixes effortlessly and his batting was tremendous," he added.
Harshit gave Virat Kohli hope?
Srikkanth further elaborated how Rana's presence contributed largely to India being in the competition, even when the required run rate exceeded 11 runs an over.
The partnership between Virat Kohli and Rana was worth 99 runs and came at a critical stage. Rana’s intent allowed Kohli to play his natural game, and for a brief period, the impossible started to look achievable.
"Out of the 99 runs that Virat Kohli and Harshit Rana added, Rana made 52. That 52 runs were crucial and gave Kohli hope even though the asking rate was above 11. Rana’s hitting reduced it to 10 and New Zealand were scared. New Zealand captain was scared too."
India lost the series despite Rana-Kohli heroics
However, once Harshit was dismissed, India’s hopes faded quickly. Virat Kohli continued to fight and eventually scored a brilliant 124, but the lack of support at the end proved costly.
India were bowled out for 296 in the 46th over, falling 41 runs short. With that, the men in blue yet again lost a home series to New Zealand.
Naturally, the blame shifted to head coach Gautam Gambhir for his poor team selection and strategies.
That being said, with the ODI series behind their back, Team India will move on to the T20I series. This 5-game series will be significant as the hosts will finalise their T20 World Cup 2026 plans.
