Gautam Gambhir changed the mindset, says Harshit Rana after maiden ODI call-up

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Harshit Rana opened up after a maiden call-up to the India team for the upcoming Sri Lanka ODI series.

The pacer was part of the first two T20I matches in Zimbabwe but never played a match. Just after Gautam Gambhir's appointment as India's head coach, Rana will have a chance to showcase his skills in national colours.

"Delhi can break your heart, but I never lost hope." These were Harshit Rana's emotional words after his first call-up to the Indian ODI team. Harshit has been around the IPL scene for time but an excellent season with Kolkata Knight Riders propelled him towards the national call-up scene.

But upon talking about his incredible journey, Rana credited three persons who changed and helped immensely in his journey.

"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)," Rana said to PTI on Thursday.

Support from Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir was part of the IPL 2024 as KKR mentor and the former India batter played a huge role. Gautam Gambhir played a significant role in changing Rana's mindset.

"If my outlook towards the game has changed, a lot of it has got to do with Gauti bhaiya's presence in the KKR dressing room and how he changed my mindset," Rana said.

Gambhir's advice helped him handle pressure better and the India head coach also had immense faith in the youngster.

"Gauti bhaiyya would always tell me 'Mere ko tere pe trust hai. Tu match jeetake aayega'. (I have trust in you, you can win the match)," he recalled.

Rana started strong in 2022 with seven Ranji Trophy games for Delhi, taking 28 wickets. However, injuries limited his red-ball cricket appearances since then. In white-ball cricket, he excelled for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with 22 wickets in 14 games and 28 wickets in 25 T20 matches.

Rana bowled a few difficult overs for KKR and came out with full marks. And he thanked Gambhir for handling the pressure and coming out on top.

"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," Rana said.