Overview:
Rana's ODI economy rate stands at 6.21, while in T20Is, it spikes to 10.17. Even in the longest format, his economy is above 4.5.
Manoj Tiwary has voiced concerns over Gautam Gambhir player-grooming philosophy, using Harshit Rana as an example. Despite the young pacer earning praise from selectors, Tiwary warned against the approach, especially when the expectation is to compensate for the absence of Mohammed Shami.
The youngster, viewed as a pace-bowling all-rounder, has made an immediate impact. He ended the New Zealand ODI series as India’s leading wicket-taker and scored a fifty in the third game. Yet, his tendency to leak runs has drawn attention, raising doubts about whether his strike rate compensates for the lack of control.
During an exclusive chat with InsideSport, Tiwary was critical of Gambhir’s player-management philosophy, cautioning against experiments. He mentioned that Rana’s contributions with the bat have added value, but highlighted his bowling output.
“Harshit Rana needs to put the emphasis on keeping things tight with the ball. The team has shown a lot of faith in him, which is fair, but he cannot be Mohammed Shami in bowling. Being handy with the bat doesn’t give him a free pass to leak runs and then make up for it later with a few runs, only for it to be hailed as a big contribution,” Manoj Tiwary said.
Rana’s ODI economy rate stands at 6.21, while in T20Is, it spikes to 10.17. Even in the longest format, his economy is above 4.5. Tiwary highlighted that India boast a deep pool of bowling talent at the domestic level, urging the team management to avoid fast-tracking players at the international stage.
“I’m still not convinced. The Indian team isn’t a platform to develop players from scratch. Grooming comes into play only when there are limited options available, and that’s not the case here, with plenty of bowlers in the system,” he added.
During his peak years, Shami was India’s go-to strike bowler after Jasprit Bumrah, highlighted by his remarkable 24 scalps in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Gambhir’s approach, however, signals a shift. In an era where limited-overs cricket rewards all-round ability, the focus is on strengthening the batting lower down the order.