Competence was not a problem but Harshit Rana, by his own admission, struggled with the confidence part before Gautam Gambhir entered the picture and forced him to face his “fears”.
The 22-year-old rookie pacer is on cloud nine right now after being picked for next month’s ODI series against Sri Lanka.
To announce his joy to the world, he posted a picture on instagram in which he was seen lifting his equally jubilant father. But when it came to giving credit to those who shaped him, Rana was clear that “Gauti Bhaiyya” would always be “above everyone else”.
“Delhi mein dil toot sakta hai, par humne kabhi hausla nahi haaraa (Delhi can break your heart but I never lost hope),” Rana said after learning about his maiden India call-up.
“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,” he told PTI in an interview.
The bowler from Delhi’s South Extension, who endured a tough time at the junior level, often overlooked, had finally made it. And all it took for him to be in national reckoning was one stellar IPL season of 19 wickets in Kolkata Knight Riders’ triumphant campaign this year.