Harshit Rana Prepares for Asia Cup 2025 After Delhi Premier League

Young India pacer Harshit Rana believes his participation in the ongoing Delhi Premier League has been excellent preparation for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, starting September 9 in the UAE.

Rana was briefly with the Indian Test team in the UK after the India A shadow tour. His last appearance for India was in the Champions Trophy 2025 in February, which the Men in Blue ended up winning.

Rana has been actively playing, participating in 12-13 T20 matches over the past 20-25 days. "It is not at all that I have become out of practice. In the last 20-25 days, I have played 12-13 T20 matches. So, my practice is completely on because DPL Delhi Premier League was going on, before that our team’s practice was going on. So that is a plus point for me that I am bowling well in the matches and overall performance has been good," Rana told PTI.

Reuniting with Jasprit Bumrah

Rana is looking forward to teaming up again with Jasprit Bumrah, who will be available for the entire Asia Cup after managing his workload during England's Test series. "I can’t tell you what Jassi Jasprit Bumrah bhai brings to the table, playing with him is really special, he makes things easy for us. If he’s around, the pressure on us is minimal," he expressed.

Despite his enthusiasm, Rana may not start in the Asia Cup as Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya are likely to be the preferred pace trio in the continental competition. Rana's previous international experience includes a single T20 match for India as a concussion substitute against England in January 2025, where he impressed with figures of 3 for 33.

Performance and Criticism

In this IPL season, Rana played 13 matches and took 15 wickets at an average of 29.86 for his franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) but had an economy rate exceeding 10. These statistics have led to some criticism regarding his selection for the Asia Cup. However, Rana remains focused on delivering his best performance without worrying about outcomes.

Rana finds it thrilling to wear the India jersey and play alongside a strong bowling unit. He aims to stay calm and give his best effort each time he steps onto the field. The presence of experienced players like Bumrah helps reduce pressure on him and other team members.

With inputs from PTI