Harshit Rana: Rohit and Kohli are 'always motivated'

India fast bowler also spoke about how the new rule of ball change in ODIs has been "very helpful"
ESPNcricinfo staff
02-Dec-2025 • 7 hrs ago
Harshit Rana has played 16 matches for India. In nine of them, he has shared the dressing room with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The 23-year-old fast bowler, still making his way towards being a first-choice pick, praised the influence of the two senior players and highlighted India's team environment as "very happy."
"It is a big thing for me, and for the entire team too," Rana said on the eve of the second ODI against South Africa, on Tuesday. "If such experienced players are with you in the dressing room and on the field, the environment stays great. At this time, off the field - even dressing room - it is a happy environment for the entire team. Everyone wants to be better. In their minds, they always want youngsters to get better. When I am bowling, for example, they always tell me how to bowl better. When a player gets such a great team environment, things automatically go well.
"They are always motivated - whether it is good times or bad times. They back you and tell you what next steps you should take. As a youngster, this really helps you, because when you are on the field - in a pressure situation - they help you out a lot."
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Harshit broke into the Indian white-ball team as a hustle-and-bustle seam bowler with excellent slower balls. Those skills mark him out as a middle-overs specialist, but he took on a different role in the first ODI on Sunday when he opened the bowling and picked up two wickets in his first over.
"With the new ball, I've practiced a lot with Morne [Morkel, the bowling coach], and also talk a lot with Arshdeep [Singh]," Rana said. "He has a lot of experience, and he helps me in practices by telling how I should bowl better."
Fast bowlers have also been able to pose more of a threat this year with the ICC changing the rules of ODI cricket. Though all 50-over matches start with two new balls, at the start of the 35th over, the bowling team gets to decide which one they'll keep for the rest of the innings.
"You know that the bowlers don't get as much help in today's cricket," Rana said. "This rule has been very helpful for us, because that one older ball, we always keep in the back of our minds. Whichever ball is older after the 34th [over], we try and focus on that. And about choosing the ball, that all of us do. Whoever feels which ball is older.
"In India, bowling is different because the variations are what you have to depend on. In each phase, you have to bowl differently in different roles: sometimes attacking, sometimes defensive."
India may be considering a change in their middle order for Wednesday with Rishabh Pant and Tilak Varma getting a long hit against net bowlers with assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate watching on.