Gautam Gambhir's teammate totally exposes Harshit Rana: "He doesn't have a strength delivery"

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif questioned Harshit Rana’s bowling after his performance in the second ODI match against Australia in Adelaide on Thursday, October 24. Kaif admitted that he could not find a “strength delivery” in Rana’s bowling, unlike pacers such as Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah.

The right-arm fast bowler picked up key wickets of Travis Head and Matthew Short but conceded 59 runs in his eight-over spell. However, India lost the match as Australia chased down the target of 265 with two wickets to spare. The hosts took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series with one game remaining.

Harshit Rana Doesn't Have a Strength Delivery - Mohammad Kaif

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Mohammad Kaif said that bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have strength deliveries that trouble batters. However, Kaif pointed out that Rana lacks a clear strength, such as a yorker, inswinger, or high pace.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

"I'm following Harshit Rana a lot, but he does not have a strength delivery. It's not like he has a solid outswinger or an inswinger. When we speak about Siraj or Bumrah, they have their strengths, like their yorkers, pace, or slower ones. But I can't figure out what Harshit Rana's strength is. It's not like he bowls over 140," Kaif said.

Harshit Rana Has to Bring More Skills to Outfox the Batter - Mohammad Kaif

The former cricketer said that it is unfair to Kuldeep Yadav, who was left out of the playing XI. He added that Rana can be effective with his change of pace in high-scoring situations, but he requires more skill to outthink the opposition.

"Play either one of Rana or Reddy, because both of them can't play together. Kuldeep Yadav sitting out for this is a clear injustice," Kaif continued.

"When the required rate is 9 or 10 runs per over, there Harshit Rana is effective because his strength is change of pace. But when batters are playing like Test cricket when the required rate is around 5 or 6 runs per over, the bowler has to bring more skills to outfox the batter when he is playing in 3rd gear," he added.

India Would Have Won This Game - Mohammad Kaif

Mohammad Kaif said that Kuldeep Yadav’s inclusion could have changed the outcome of the second ODI against Australia. He stated that with turn and grip on the surface, Yadav could have troubled Australia’s inexperienced middle order.

"If Kuldeep was in the team, I guarantee you 100 percent that India would have won this game. When Zampa can come in and change the game by dismissing some big names, when there was grip and turn from the surface, then think what Kuldeep could have done against this inexperienced Australian middle order," Kaif opined.

"This is a do-or-die match, you are not playing him, and Zampa, who was not even there in the last match, returned and took the man of the match. Kuldeep Yadav is a thousand times better bowler than Adam Zampa," he concluded.

Team India retained the same playing XI from the first ODI, leaving Kuldeep Yadav on the bench once again. Adam Zampa dominated the Indian batting lineup, finishing with 4-60 and earning the Player of the Match award.

Kuldeep has a strong record at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the venue for the third ODI. He picked up his first overseas five-wicket haul in Tests during the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar series and has taken three wickets in two previous white-ball games at the SCG.

Also read: Virat Kohli's retirement status revealed as India legend explains goodbye wave to Adelaide crowd