Follow UsIndia fast bowler Harshit Rana, who made his ODI debut with a bang, finishing with figures of 3/53 in his seven overs in the first ODI against England at Nagpur on February 6 (Thursday), slammed all those who criticised him for the like-for-like replacement controversy during the fourth T20I in Pune.
Rana said that people will keep talking as they are supposed to, but he is not bothered at all.
"I believe that people will keep on talking. I just want to play, good or bad. I'm not bothered, I just want to deliver for my country. I don't pay attention to those talks,” the 23-year-old said in the post-match press conference.
Rana, who was not sure that he would get to play in the first game of the series itself, said that he was informed about his debut when the team reached the ground in Nagpur.
"You get to know only when you come to the ground. Mentally, I'm always prepared whenever I come onto the ground. I know that I can play anytime. So, mentally, I always keep myself prepared," the Delhi-born added.
The right-arm fast bowler was clobbered for 26 runs by Phil Slat in only his third over of the first spell. Yet, he did not lose focus and took three wickets, which included heavyweight players Ben Duckett, Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone. What changed after that particular over? According to Rana, nothing actually did.
"I only wanted to focus on my length, bowl where I have to, and I got the reward for that later. I didn't do anything different in my second spell, just focused on hitting the right areas," he said.
After winning the first game in Nagpur, India will travel to Cuttack with the thought of taking an unassailable lead in the three-match series.