MATCH STORIES
Follow Us“Cricket can be played without these antics. It's the age of television. I understand that. Celebrate with your teammates but no need for such antics for the opposition."
Sunil Gavaskar didn’t hold back his comments. Harshit Rana’s celebration (fly-kiss the opposition) to send off Mayank Agarwal didn’t earn him a lot of friends. The internet, in fact, was the worst possible place for Rana.
But he doesn’t care.
In front of him are numbers. 13 runs, six balls. That’s the only equation that matters. But if you think the task is easy, Heinrich Klaasen is in front of him. Klaasen is the best T20 batter in world cricket at the moment.
He’s already scored 56 off 26. He seems to be only dealing in sixes; he’s smacked seven sixes already. The ball seems to be travelling like a wanderlust on a long weekend, taking that extra Monday off.
The 22-year-old misses his length, and it travels for a six. Seven off five now. He goes back to his trusted slower delivery and Klaasen can only get a single. Rana hits the deck hard and Shreyas Iyer waits for a simple catch.
Two deliveries later, Rana has seen enough of Klaasen to send him off. Game over.
Game, set and match. He goes to the ground and kisses Sunrisers Hyderabad’s chance goodbye.
Perhaps half of the internet still hates him. They still hate the fact that a 22-year old could have such fun out in the middle and be in someone’s face all the time. Perhaps they hate the fact that he just won a game against the best T20 batter in world cricket.
*****
Harshit Rana’s celebrations are well-known.
In fact, not a single person who has watched him play doesn’t remember his in-your-face celebration. Be it in the U-19 World Cup final against Bangladesh or be it the 2023 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup clash against Pakistan.
He’s always been at the centre of attention. But over the last few years, the attention has steadily shifted from his celebrations to his skillset. Rana wasn’t supposed to be in Kolkata’s scheme of things originally if not for an injury to Rasikh Salam.
Last year, the 22-year old showed his great skillset with five wickets in the competition. While his average was obviously on the higher side (29.4), his economy rate was still 8.65 in a struggling Knight Riders pace unit.
The franchise trusted him and retained him ahead of the 2024 IPL. Despite a lukewarm domestic season, where he only picked up three wickets, the franchise trusted him over the other domestic talents.
In two overs, Rana had already conceded 18 runs.
Other captains could have given up and gone straight back to Kolkata's guns - spin. But not Iyer, who trusted Rana with a third straight over, and the Delhi bowler picked up the crucial wicket of Mayank Agarwal.
While his celebrations crashed the internet, his skills didn't yet catch fire. After all, he had bowled three overs, conceding 25 runs, with just one wicket.
“Felt anything could happen in the last over. They needed 13 runs and we didn't have the most experienced bowler. But I had the belief in him, and I told him to back himself and it doesn't matter what happens,” Iyer said in the post-match presentation.
Iyer's trust didn't end there, with him throwing the ball to the Delhi pacer for the final over, defending just 13. You know what happened at the end. Trust was and remained the keyword.
In KKR skipper's own words, Rana wasn't quite prepared for the situation but the power of trust was so powerful that the Delhi pacer did the job for the franchise.
“He was a bit nervous coming in, and I just looked him in the eye and told him 'this is your moment, buddy.' Told him to back himself and doesn't matter what happens in the game,” Iyer added.
At the end of the clash, he ended with figures of 3/33, winning a fight against the best T20 batter in world cricket. So, what did he do differently towards the end?
The 22-year-old has always been known for his pace, averaging 138.2, but it was his variations that sealed the deal for the Knight Riders.
29.17% of his deliveries were slow, and the average pace was 113.1 KMPH, and that’s where two of his crucial wickets came, with an economy of 6.9. Those slower deliveries came as a big surprise for the Sunrisers, who were flying with seven needed off five.
More interestingly, he bowled five slower deliveries at the death, where his average pace was 112.5 KMPH, picking up two wickets, with the batters striking at just 40. In the final over, it was that slower delivery that accounted for both Shahbaz Ahmed and Klaasen.
In a clash where there were plenty of boundaries flying, Rana did the unthinkable. He stopped the best T20 batter in world cricket.
How it started: Oh, there's no need for those celebrations
How it ended: Harshit says night night to SRH's run-chase.
The 22-year-old is big, he’s bold, and his celebrations are only going to become louder, for he has shown the game to succeed at this level.
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