IND vs SA 2025: ‘It’s fantastic to see a player make the most of his chance’ – Legendary South African pacer on Harshit Rana’s performance in 3rd T20I

Harshit Rana. (Photo Source: BCCI)

Legendary former South African speedster Dale Steyn commended Harshit Rana’s hunger and desire to perform well for the team after he took two important wickets with the new ball in the third T20I between India and South Africa at the Himachal Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday, November 14.

Steyn was particularly impressed because Harshit grabbed his opportunity with both hands. The Delhi seamer didn’t play the first two games but got his chance in the third one in place of Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested.

“What impresses me most is that he wants the ball in his hand. He didn’t play the first two games, got his opportunity in this game, and ran in hard and fast. You rarely see a captain push an opening bowler through three overs straight away, but both opening bowlers did that. It shows that Harshit Rana really wants to be part of this team,” Steyn said while speaking on JioHotstar.

“He grabbed his opportunity with both hands. He bowled on merit, exactly how he wanted to—very skilful. Above all, you can see the desire. It’s fantastic to see a player make the most of his chance,” the former pacer added.

Harshit, who has often been criticised for his performances in the past, dismissed veteran Quinton de Kock in his first over. The southpaw was trapped in front of the stumps, and the umpire didn’t hesitate to raise his finger. In his following over, Harshit got the better of Dewald Brevis, who inside-edged a delivery onto the leg-stump.

Apart from the 18th over, where Harshit conceded 19 runs, it was a memorable performance. The 23-year-old conceded 34 runs in his four overs and bagged two wickets. The Men in Blue restricted the Proteas to 117 in 20 overs after winning the toss and opting to bowl first. In reply, Suryakumar Yadav’s men romped home in 15.5 overs with seven wickets to spare. With this win, India have taken a 2-1 lead in the series, with two more matches to spare.

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