Team India`s pacer Harshit Rana said that the management is aiming to groom him as an all-rounder, and he is working hard to meet the expectations of the think tank.
In the first ODI match against New Zealand, the pacer claimed two wickets by conceding 65 runs in 10 overs.
“The team management wants to groom me as an all-rounder, and my aim is to work on it, and I am doing it in the nets. The team wants me to bat at No.8 as an all-rounder. I believe I am good enough to make 30-40 runs whenever the team wants.” he told the reporters after the conclusion of the match.
Later, with the bat, Harshit accumulated 29 runs in 23 balls. He also smashed two boundaries and a maximum.
Speaking further, he also expressed confidence in Virat Kohli, saying that until he was present, it seemed the match would end early, with five to six overs remaining.
“Till Virat bhai was there it felt that the match would end early, maybe with 5-6 overs to spare but a game of cricket can change anytime and you cannot predict it,” said the 24-year-old cricketer.
Virat Kohli`s historic feat
Stalwart Kohli played a blistering knock of 93 runs off 91 deliveries, which was laced with eight boundaries and a maximum.
With this, he scripted history by becoming the fastest player to achieve the mark of 28,000 runs across all three formats in international cricket. Playing in his 624th innings, Kohli reached the milestone by hitting a four off New Zealand leg-spinner Adithya Ashok.
Before him, Sachin Tendulkar had reached the landmark during his 644th innings, while Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara, only the third player in the 28000-run club, crossed the feat in his 666th innings.
Currently, the 37-year-old cricketer has 28,068 runs in 625 innings for Team India.
The “Men in Blue” registered a victory by four wickets against the Kiwis at the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium in Kotambi.
The second ODI match between Team India and New Zealand is scheduled to be played on February 14 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
(With Inputs from Agencies)
