How injury-prone fast bowler Harshit Rana shed 17 kilograms to try and stay fit | Cricket News

Being woken up his father at 4 am to watch India playing in Australia on television is a Delhi winter-morning memory of fast bowler Harshit Rana. Harshit was six years old the first time this happened. He even threw tantrums because he wanted to continue sleeping.“Wo toh dekhna hi padta tha (I used to watch it as I had no other option),” Harshit tells The Indian Express after taking a five-wicket haul in the Ranji Trophy match against Assam in New Delhi.
The 22-year-old’s career is on the fast track after he was selected for the five-match Test tour of Australia. Wickets this season for IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders put him in the limelight. A quick rise for a fast bowler who had struggled with injuries even before he turned 20.
There is another India-in-Australia link. Watching the Indian team perform though their backs were against the wall in the 2020-21 series; Cheteshwar Pujara taking body blows, the Ravichandran Ashwin-Hanuma Vihari partnership, made Harshit determined to play for the country.
“The last BGT series was really inspirational, and the way we won it motivated me,” Harshit said.
The series coincided with the time he was struggling with one stress fracture after another.
His father Pradeep Rana, who represented the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in hammer throw and weightlifting, recalls the tough days.
“First it was back, then it was groin, then calf and a niggle in the shoulder. Every part of his body was injured. During that time I had taken him to many hospitals just to understand why he is breaking down. I even took him to an Ayurveda facility in Najafgarh. Whatever knowledge I gained from watching videos, and reading news items, I tried everything,” Pradeep said.
Finally, when there was no permanent solution, they decided to leave it to destiny.
“We enjoyed the Test series. The win was amazing and I could literally see him getting motivated. Navdeep Saini was bowling with an injured groin. Pujara took so many hits on his body. The Ashwin and Vihari partnership in Sydney. After watching these heroics Harshit expressed his desire to play for India,” Pradeep said.
Harshit dedicates his maiden Test call to his father.
“During my teenage years I was getting injured too often and my father stood like a rock behind me. He told me that it was okay even if I don’t become a professional cricketer. Whatever I am today, it is because of my father,” Harshit said.
He has been close to getting picked for the Indian team but hasn’t played a game in any format till date. He was part of the T20 team for the tour of Zimbabwe and the home series against Bangladesh. He was also a reserve for the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru.
“I was hopeful (of going to Australia). I was with the team and the management was kind of preparing me for this tour,” Harshit said.
He has wanted to have a crack at the Australians.
Harshit dedicates his maiden Test call to his father. (PTI)
“My father’s dream is to watch me play in England. But I always wanted to play against Australia because I am competitive in nature and Australia also plays the same brand of cricket. I am really looking forward to this tour,” he added.
Losing weight
A hamstring injury that resulted in him missing the entire 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season was a wake up call of sorts to get as fit as possible.
From November 2023 to the start of the IPL 2024 in March, he shed 17 kgs. Now he has been injury free for seven months.
“The team management is looking after my workload. I just want to play for India whether it is T20s, ODIs or Test matches. I see myself as a three-format bowler,” Harshit added.
The experience of travelling and training with the Indian team has been a learning curve for Harshit.
When he was a reserve for the Test team recently, he got the chance to pick the brains of legends.
“Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma asked me to focus on my length. Bowling to them is completely different to what I have experienced before. They train with the same intensity in the nets like they bat in the match. Once you bowl at them it feels like you were playing a match. I also spoke to Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj about the length that one should bowl in Australia. They have shared their inputs as well,” he added.

Harshit caught the attention of Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir when he was with the KKR as mentor. With Gambhir now the India coach, the speedster hopes he can be successful in India colours also.
“Gautam bhaiya has backed me from the start. He has always given me the right guidance. He has taken me under his wings in the IPL and since then I have improved as a cricketer.”