Harshit Rana delivered a dream new-ball spell in Ranchi, stunning South Africa with two wickets in three balls and removing both Rickelton and Quinton de Kock for ducks. It was high-quality fast bowling at real pace, seam tilted perfectly towards first slip, troubling the left-handers from ball one.
Rickelton falls first ball
Harshit Rana to Rickelton, OUT — A nip-backer on the perfect length, sneaking between bat and pad. Rickelton played down the wrong line and Rana crashed into middle stump. Rickelton walked back for 0 off 1.
de Kock follows two balls later
Harshit Rana to de Kock, OUT — Fullish, shaping away outside off. De Kock chased a wide delivery and edged it straight to KL Rahul. A poor shot, and an easy catch. South Africa suddenly in deep trouble at the start.
Between those dismissals, Rana even beat de Kock with late swing, forcing Rahul to dive to his left for a near-chance.
A fiery start in Ranchi
Two wickets in three deliveries, both top-order left-handers gone without scoring — Harshit Rana has produced an elite new-ball burst under pressure.
The young fast bowler has been backed strongly by Gautam Gambhir, and today he delivered exactly the kind of opening spell KKR’s mentor often spoke about.
A statement start, silence to his critics, and all the early momentum to India in Ranchi.
