“Eleven players, one heartbeat”: Harshit Rana stops trolls with 4/39 in Sydney | Cricket News

Indian pacer Harshit Rana produced a match-winning performance in the third and final ODI against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, helping India to a nine-wicket victory to end the series 1-2 in favor of the hosts. Rana’s impressive spell of 4/39 was central to India’s effort to bowl out Australia for 236 in 46.4 overs. The 23-year-old’s wickets included key dismissals of Alex Carey and Mitchell Owen as Australia slipped to 198/6 in the 38th over. Supported by Washington Sundar’s 2/44 and Axar Patel’s 1/18, Rana’s bowling allowed India to maintain the pressure throughout the innings. Mohammed Siraj also chipped in with 1/24. Chasing 237, India made easy work of the target as Rohit Sharma hit an unbeaten 121 off 125 balls and Virat Kohli added 74, not out off 81. The pair shared an unbroken stand of 168 runs after Rohit and Shubman Gill (24) put on 69 for the opening wicket.

Harshit Rana on Instagram

India completed the chase in 38.3 overs to end their tour on a strong note. The performance came amid online criticism regarding Rana’s inclusion in the Indian ODI squad. Former coach Kris Srikkanth had earlier called him a “constant yes-man” to head coach Gautam Gambhir, remarks which sparked a wide reaction. Rana’s performance at the SCG drew praise from fans and teammates alike, with many highlighting his on-field response as the best response to criticism. His numbers were remarkable during India’s bowling attack and were instrumental in restricting Australia. The controversy had prompted senior players and pundits to speak out against personal criticism leveled at young cricketers. Ravichandran Ashwin, addressing the issue on his YouTube channel, said, “I have always believed that no player should be attacked below the belt. When criticism becomes personal, it crosses a line.

He added: “Imagine if Harshit received harsh criticism just before he was about to play for India. How would that affect him? It’s fine to criticize skills, technique or style, but it shouldn’t get personal.”Hours after the win in Sydney, the bowler took to Instagram, where he had not posted since the start of the series, and gave the perfect response to his critics. With the caption “Not just one victory, a declaration of unity, belief and teamwork. Eleven players. One heartbeat”, the pacer made his feelings known after finishing the series as the leading wicket-taker with six scalps. With his four-wicket haul in Sydney, Rana showed that his focus is entirely on performance and composure, and not on what happens online.