Harshit Rana faced the ire of his captain Rohit Sharma in the India vs. England 2nd ODI. With the Three Lions imposing themselves on the Men in Blue, the Indian skipper was under a slight pressure. Jos Buttler and Joe Root, who are England’s best batters, were in the middle together.
To break the partnership, Rohit Sharma called Harshit back to bowl his seventh over. The pacer was on the money. He bowled four dot balls. England’s run rate, which was over seven after the end of the powerplay, was under six by this stage. Team India was wrestling back the control.
Rohit Sharma scolds Harshit Rana
On the fifth ball of his over (31.5), Harshit bowled another dot ball. But seeing that Buttler was out from his crease slightly, the pacer decided to have a throw at the stumps. Buttler wasn’t mere centimetres out, and by the time the ball reached the stumps, he was already in.
KL Rahul had no chance. The ball went to the boundary. Rohit Sharma wasn’t pleased. A brain fade moment. The pacer showed needless aggression, and it cost Team India four runs. As Harshit came back to his bowling mark, Rohit, who was standing at mid-on, scolded the youngster. “Dimag kidhar hai tera?” (Where is your mind?).
Rana walked about to his mark, not looking in his captain’s direction. Luckily for Harshit, the mistake didn’t cost Team India much. Buttler was dismissed by Hardik Pandya in the 39th over, but he did score 27 runs. The pacer won’t repeat the same mistake again, and if he does, he might get a chiding from Rohit Sharma.
