Delhi’s young speedster Harshit Rana has emerged as a potential contender for the third pacer’s slot in India’s playing XI for the opening Test against Australia in Perth. With just 10 first-class matches under his belt, Rana has impressed with his consistent pace over 140 kph and his ability to extract good bounce.
During India’s nets at the WACA ground in Perth, Rana troubled the batters with his raw pace on several occasions. India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel spent considerable time with the Karnataka man, who was also impressive during the recent A series against Australia at Mackay and Melbourne.
Rana’s challenge for the third pacer’s role comes at the expense of senior teammate Prasidh Krishna, who has experience of playing two Tests and can also hit the top of off-stump. However, Rana’s consistent pace and bounce could give him an edge in the Perth conditions.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami’s international comeback might take place in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but it could happen during the second half of the series. The BCCI medical team and national selectors want Shami to play a few more competitive games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to check if his body is holding up after multiple games, even though it’s a white-ball format tournament.
Shami, who appeared in a competitive match after a year, was impressive in his outing for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh at Indore, returning with a seven-wicket match haul in his side’s first victory of the season. However, the selection committee doesn’t want to take chances by fast-tracking Shami after just one Ranji Trophy match, having completed an extensive rehabilitation program.
