With shouts of India level ka bowler hai bhai from Delhi’s slip cordon, Harshit Rana rocked Assam’s top order and claimed four wickets on the green at Kotla on Saturday. The Delhi pacer, who scored the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, justified his selection with a blistering opening that read: 5-3-5-2.
Rana, who was playing competitive cricket after a gap of one-and-a-half months, found more zip at the top, made the most of the new ball and troubled Assam’s top order in the morning session. He could have taken more wickets as he kept hitting the outside edge in his debut. It took him fifteen balls to get his first wicket. He got an outside edge off Assam opener Subhham Mandal, with Yash Dhull taking a sharp catch at first slip. Two balls later, Rana claimed his second wicket when Abhishek Thakuri, another left-hander, was run out after being caught in the slip cordon.
Rishav Das (33) and Assam captain Denish Das (18) scored 49 runs for the third wicket. The Delhi skipper brought Rana back just before lunch and the batsman troubled both batsmen with his short-pitch technique. This plan worked as Rishav was strangled in the leg after failing to keep his gun down.
However, when the ball lost its luster and the field improved in batting, Rana faced his first opposition. In his third spell, he was hit for two sixes in one over by Sumit Ghadigaonkar, unbeaten on 120 as Assam ended Day 1 on 264 for 6. accuracy as in his opening over and got the wicket of Swarupam Purkayastha, who hit a single to Himmat Singh at first slip.
The 22-year-old has returned to the Delhi team after missing the 2023-24 season due to a hamstring injury. Rana’s stock soared, following his IPL triumph with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), where he took 19 wickets. He has impressed Gautam Gambhir and Abhishek Nayar, who have moved from the KKR dressing room to the Indian dressing room. Rana was selected for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh but did not get a chance to play and was among the reserves, who joined India’s Test squad ahead of the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru.
A four-pronged speed attack
Delhi, who had gone with just two runs in Navdeep Saini and Himanshu Chauhan against Tamil Nadu got more than Assam compensation with a four-pronged attack led by Harshit Rana and Himanshu Chauhan. Left-arm pacer Siddhant Sharma, who played well in his two matches last season is back and 24-year-old Money Grewal has been given his debut. The all-pace attack cost Delhi dearly as they managed to bowl only 76 overs on the first day with left-arm spinner Sumit Mathur bowling 20 overs.
Siddhant bowled well alongside Rana while Himanshu Chauhan, Delhi’s lone shining knight last season, struggled with his height. Debutant Grewal was unlucky as he could have picked up a few wickets if the slip rope had been more effective. Two catches were dropped, one each by Yash Dhull and Sanat Sangwan off Grewal’s swing.
Short points
Assam: 264 for 6 in 76 overs (Sumit Ghadigaonkar 120 not out, Sibsankar Roy 59; Harshit Rana 4/62)