Harshit Rana exposes Gautam Gambhir's dark tactics to guarantee him a spot in India's ODI squad vs Sri Lanka

Star fast bowler Harshit Rana has credited India's new head coach Gautam Gambhir for his maiden call-up in India's ODI squad. India's squads for the T20I and the ODI squads for the tour of Sri Lanka were announced on July 18 (Thursday) with many exciting names making their appearance.

One of those exciting names is Harshit Rana, who has made it to India's ODI squad. Rana had an excellent Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, where he picked up 19 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 20.15. He emerged as the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker of the season and helped in taking Kolkata Knight Riders to a title win.

Rana has been around on selectors' radar for quite some time. Although this IPL was his breakthrough season, he has also excelled in List A cricket before, picking up 22 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 23.45. The youngster has also played numerous games for India A.

Also read: Gautam Gambhir badly exposed as old remarks on Sanju Samson resurface after batter's shocking ODI omission

Harshit Rana credits Gautam Gambhir for his maiden India ODI call-up

During an interview with PTI, Harshit Rana credited Gautam Gambhir for the change in his approach towards the game. Rana plays in the IPL for KKR, the team that was mentored by Gautam Gambhir in the 2024 season.

“If my outlook towards the game has changed, a lot of it has got to do with Gauti bhaiyya's (Gautam Gambhir) presence in the KKR dressing room and how he changed my mindset. At the elite level, you require skills but more than skills you require the heart to handle the pressure,” Rana said.

"Gauti bhaiyya would always tell me 'Mere ko tere pe trust hai. Tu match jeetake aayega'. (I trust you, you will win the match)," Rana remembered his chats with the Gambhir in the KKR dressing room.

"There will always be a new day" - Harshit Rana reveals Gautam Gambhir's advice

Rana also revealed Gambhir's advice to deal the pressure situations and said that the former India opener always motivated him to trust his skills.

"If you ask about the pressure part, it is Gautam Gambhir's advice. He would say, 'What's the worst thing that will happen? You will get hit and we can lose the match. But if you don't face your fears, how will you overcome them?” Rana exclaimed.

“There will always be a new day, new match and things will fall in place. That's what you train for,” the 22-year-old fast bowler added.

Harshit Rana earned his maiden India call-up in the T20I tour of Zimbabwe but did not get a game there. He was excellent for KKR this season with his ability to pick up crucial wickets at regular intervals.

He bowled with a high pace and nailed his yorkers and slower balls to perfection. There were some days when he turned out to be expensive but the youngster showed courage to overcome his failures.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli back for ODIs

Harshit Rana will be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. After speculations that both the stalwarts will miss the Sri Lanka tour, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made themselves available given the lack of ODI cricket before next year's Champions Trophy.

Rohit Sharma will lead the ODI team. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul also found a place in the ODI squad while senior player Ravindra Jadeja did not find a place in any of the squads.