'How well he batted' - Former cricketer heaps praises on Harshit Rana after IND vs NZ ODI series

Former cricketer lauds Harshit Rana’s batting display in the IND vs NZ ODI series, highlighting his composure and valuable contributions down the order.

Harshit Rana (Image Credit: BCCI)

India's star bowler Harshit Rana slammed his maiden ODI half-cnetury against New Zealand in the 3rd ODI match on January 19. Alongside Virat Kohli, Rana batted brilliantly scoring boundaries and sixes with ease. The fans were thrilled to watch him perform and help India. However, he couldn't save the team from losing the match.

Speaking about his batting, former cricketer Aakash Chopra praised Rana for his spectacular knock and the way he batted sensibly in the match. Chopra also focused on his performance in the first match and said that India wouldn't have won the game if not for Rana's contributions.

"Harshit Rana, you made his meme by editing his picture, and he made his dream by working hard. How well he batted. Harshit Rana is the biggest positive from this series. If he hadn't scored 29 runs in the first match, we wouldn't have won that match as well because Washington Sundar had gotten injured," said Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel.

"He scored runs here also. If he hadn't scored runs, we would have lost this match by 80 runs, or maybe 100 runs, because he scored more than 50. He scored a fifty and Nitish Kumar Reddy made a fifty," he added.

He batted well here and bowled well too: Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra also gave credits to Nitish Kumar Reddy for a brilliant performance in the match. He bowled around eight overs but didn't get wickets. However, he was economical. With the bat, he slammed a half-century and formed a partnership with Virat Kohli which was much-needed. He did what he was asked to do and now the fans are likely to see more of Nitish Reddy in the upcoming games.

"I think Nitish Kumar Reddy did really well. You don't get him to do much, and we say he hasn't done a heck of a lot. He batted well here and bowled well too. He has done what he has been asked to do," he said.

"If you have to prepare someone, it's a long process. It's not two-minute noodles, that you pour water, turn on the gas, and it gets ready. It's a delicacy that needs to be prepared by simmering. He did well in my opinion. He batted extremely well and bowled decently as well," Chopra added.

Where to watch IND vs NZ T20I matches?

Cricket fans in India can watch the India vs New Zealand matches from January 21 online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.

Also read: Former India bowler blames Test series loss against SA on Kohli-Rohit transition, makes eye-opening claim

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