 "‘I trust you’: Harshit Rana shares how Gautam Gambhir helped him develop 'elite level mindset'")
An emotional Harshit Rana credited Gautam Gambhir after earning his maiden call-up in the Indian ODI team for the Sri Lanka tour. The 22-year-old pacer’s career has taken a sharp turn after a highly successful Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) where he took 19 wickets in 13 matches and helped the team win the trophy.
Incidentally, Gambhir, who was Harshit’s mentor at KKR, will now be his head coach in Team India.
Read | **With SKY's elevation, new coach Gambhir stamps authority**
After being picked for the Indian cricket team, Harshit recalled how his father always stood by him when he failed to make it to national age-group teams and Gambhir’s advices that made him fearless.
“I believed in working hard but whenever I used to get hurt after being overlooked in age-group teams, I would sit in my room and start sobbing. My father Pradeep never ever gave up hope, the pacer told PTI.
“If I have to name three people whom I am indebted to in this beautiful journey of mine, then it is my father for his efforts, my personal coach Amit Bhandari sir (former India and Delhi pacer) and above everyone else Gauti bhaiyya (Gautam Gambhir).
“If my outlook towards the game has changed, a lot of it has got to do with Gauti bhaiyya’s 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.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“Gauti bhaiyya would always tell me ‘Mere ko tere pe trust hai. Tu match jeetake aayega’. (I trust you, you can win the match),” Rana mentioned while talking about his interactions with Gambhir at KKR.
Injuries have also played a role in somewhat derailing Harshit’s career.
In 2022, Harshit played seven Ranji Trophy games for Delhi and scalped 28 wickets before injuries impacted his red-ball attendance. He, however, has been doing well in white-ball cricket, taking 22 wickets in 14 Vijay Hazare Trophy matches and 28 in 25 T20 matches.
In the IPL, Harshit made a name by consistently taking wickets as he impressed with his blockhole deliveries, wide yorkers and slow bouncers.
Talking about his execution under pressure, Harshit said Gambhir’s encouraging words played a major role.
“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? There will always be a new day, new match and things will fall in place. That’s what you train for’,” he said
The lanky pacer, who had trained under Bhandari and Narinder Singh Negi in Delhi’s Players’ Academy, credited his coaches for his skill set.
“If you talk about skill set, then Bhandai sir and Negi sir have been my personal coaches for the past two years,” he added.
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