Harshit Rana opens up on support from Gambhir following debut in Perth Test

While Jasprit Bumrah owned the stage with a fifer, Harshit Rana marked a dream debut in Perth in the Border Gavaskar Trophy opener. The seamer finally earned his national cap as Team India took the field against Australia for the all-important series Down Under. Rana's debut in such a crucial tournament raised significant doubts. However, Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of India, had kept Rana close to the team for quite some time. When the opportunity arrived, Gambhir handed Rana his debut after Mohammed Shami failed to join the India squad for the BGT. Regardless of the circumstances, Rana seized the chance and delivered a splendid spell against the Kangaroos.

Harshit Rana opens up on his maiden spell following Day 2 of the Perth Test

Making his international debut in Perth, Harshit Rana joined forces with Jasprit Bumrah to leave Australia gasping for air in the opening Test. While Bumrah claimed four wickets, Rana took his maiden Test scalp by uprooting the stumps to remove Travis Head. When Australia was bundled out for 104 early on Day 2, Harshit Rana completed his maiden Test spell with three wickets, registering an economy rate of 3.10. After the second day's play, Rana attended the press conference and spoke about how Gautam Gambhir had backed him into the team.

"Gautam Gambhir is someone who always backs you. He just told me that whenever you get a chance to play, just remember that you are representing the people back home. So, put in the best effort. He always asked me to be patient," Harshit Rana said on Saturday.

Rana has been waiting to earn a place in the Indian playing XI ever since India toured Sri Lanka earlier this year. Since then, Rana has followed the squad during the home series against Bangladesh and subsequently the New Zealand Tests. All this time, Rana's wait continued. So, when he finally got a place, Rana welcomed the Test cap with tears. Speaking about it, the 22-year-old stalwart dedicated his performance to his father and shared how their shared 13-year-long dream finally came true in Perth.

"I wasn't going to get a lot of sleep that night [before the game] and I went to sleep quite late. I didn't listen to anything special, just followed my regular routine. I had [nervous flutters] the day before the match. [On the day] when I was giving the speech [at the cap presentation], I started to cry," Rana expressed.  "A dream that my father and I saw 13 years ago has come true today. This one's for you dad," the 22-year-old wrote in a post following his debut.