Rana on the hunt after Gambhir's punt

Perth: Tall, strapping, aggressive and even abrasive. That's how Harshit Rana came across when he impressed and annoyed in equal measure during the XVII editions of the Indian Premier League season for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

In a high-scoring IPL opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the pacer defended just 12 runs off the final over despite conceding a six off the opening ball. While that gave enough indication of Delhi bowler's ability to perform under pressure, his inability to rein in his emotions was also to the fore when he was suspended for a match and fined 100 per cent of his match fee. 

Though Rana had shown he is a big-stage performer in a title-winning campaign for KKR early this year, international cricket is a different beast. It becomes even more intimidating when you are playing Test cricket in Australia. He had stayed awake much longer than he normally would when he was told that he would make his Test debut in Perth and was so overwhelmed with the prospect of receiving an Indian cap that he broke down during a team meeting when he was asked to share his thoughts ahead of the match on Friday. 

He was obviously nervous, but what about the man behind his induction?                 

The thing with gambles is you can either look like an absolute genius or downright asinine depending upon the outcome of that call. Gautam Gambhir didn't take a punt on just one but two players in the opening Test of a series that is crucial for more than one reason.

India need to win at least four of the five Tests of the latest edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series to make it to the WTC Final on their own after critically endangering their chances of a third straight summit clash following a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of New Zealand in their own backyard just before they were shipped to Australia.

Nothing less than a series win against Australia, whom they have bested in their last two visits Down Under, will help restore their wounded pride and massage their bruised egos. With that at stake, it was mighty risky of Gambhir to hand debuts to two youngsters who are on their maiden trip to Australia where the phrase baptism by fire finds real meaning.

With Gambhir not considering any of the senior spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, it was imperative that pace all-rounder Nitish Reddy and Rana deliver in their maiden appearance.

Nitish did his bit with the bat on the opening day here on Friday, his 59-ball 41 providing India a semblance of respectability. With India shot out for 150 in their first innings, Rana, too, needed to do his bit with the ball. 

The 23-year-old, who credits Gambhir for whatever he is today, lived up to the Indian team's head coach's expectations with three wickets. None being more important than that of Travis Head -- India's nemesis in the last three years. After skipper Jasprit Bumrah had delivered three telling blows up front, Rana dismissed Head with the best ball of this match yet.

Rana swung the ball in and, upon pitching, got it to seam away from the left-hander to clip the top of off-stump. 

He was also unafraid to test Mitchell Starc, his KKR team-mate, with a barrage of bouncers, prompting the Aussie pacer to remind Rana: "I bowl faster than you Harshit, I bowl faster than you. And I have a long memory," perhaps hinting that the Indian quick should be prepared to face the same chin music from him as when their paths cross in future!  

While the skills were there for everyone to see and marvel, inexperience was also evident when he tried too hard, veered off the target and duly got punished. You could also see that eagerness on Saturday morning, when he claimed the last two Australian wickets, but there's little doubt that, with all things being equal, he will be a fine addition to India's growing pace-bowling resources in time to come.