IND vs NZ 2021: Never Looked Like Harshal Patel Was Playing His First Game - Gautam Gambhir

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir praised Indian pace bowler, Harshal Patel, for his excellent performance against New Zealand at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi on Friday.

Harshal was handed his debut cap after an injury to his RCB teammate, Mohammed Siraj. He immediately delivered, ending with figures of 2/25 in four overs on a good batting surface. Harshal took the wickets of well-set batsmen, Glenn Phillips, and Daryl Mitchell.

“Harshal Patel was unbelievable. It never looked like he was playing his first game. Very impressed with his effort. That is what 8-10 years of first-class cricket and a fabulous IPL season can do to you. You play your first game for India, you know your game much better.“

“You are no more a rookie and if you have done that in IPL, which is high-quality cricket when you have had that kind of success, you come here and feel you can continue doing the same thing. That is what Harshal has done tonight. Really happy for him because he has delivered on the big stage today,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.

“It’s a privilege to play for the country and I won’t take it for granted” – Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel mentioned that it was a great privilege to play for the country. He has been performing above par in the domestic circuit and finally got to make his debut for India at the age of 30 after an excellent IPL stint.

“It’s a great feeling playing for the country. I love the game and the ultimate goal for any player is to play for the country, it’s an honour, it’s a privilege and I’m not going to take it for granted.”

“Rahul (Dravid) sir has always told me that once you are done with the preparations, you gotta go out there and enjoy the game. I’ve reached here on the back of a good IPL, so it’s a satisfying moment for me,” Harshal said.

New Zealand put up a total of 153/6 in their 20 overs in the second T20I.

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