[WATCH]- Harshit Rana’s Double Breakthrough Sends Rickelton And De Kock Back For Ducks In 1st ODI

Harshit Rana gave India the perfect start by striking twice in the same over during the ODI series opener against South Africa at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30. He first removed Ryan Rickelton for a golden duck and then claimed the key wicket of Quinton de Kock, who was dismissed for just two balls without scoring. Both breakthroughs came in the second over of South Africa’s chase.

After starting the over with a wide outside off, Rana produced a sharp nip-backer that sneaked through the gap between bat and pad to knock over the stumps. He followed it with a dot ball before sending a fuller delivery outside off that moved away off the surface, drawing an outside edge from de Kock and landing safely in the hands of wicketkeeper and captain KL Rahul.

The double blow energized the Indian team, giving them strong momentum right at the start of the innings.

You can watch the video here:

https://www.bcci.tv/bccilink/videos/L6EMaHwL

https://www.bcci.tv/bccilink/videos/tB1OQWCh

Harshit Rana has been in excellent form with the ball, delivering strong performances in the recent three-match One-Day series between India A and South Africa A, where he claimed seven wickets, including a best of 3/21. Before that, he also returned impressive figures of 4/39 against Australia in the senior team’s previous ODI series on their tour Down Under.

Harshit Rana Delivers Early Blow After Kohli Shines With Bat In 1st ODI

Harshit Rana kept India in firm control of the contest after Virat Kohli lit up the opening ODI with his 52nd century in the format. Kohli hammered 135 off 120 deliveries, featuring seven sixes and 11 fours, while Rohit Sharma contributed a fluent 57 from 51 balls, striking three sixes and five fours.

The duo added 136 runs for the second wicket, after which captain KL Rahul finished strongly with 60 off 56 balls. Ravindra Jadeja chipped in with a quick-fire 32 from 20 deliveries. In reply, South Africa found themselves in deep trouble at 11/3 after 4.4 overs, with Matthew Breetzke and Tony de Zorzi battling at the crease.

Alongside Rana’s breakthroughs, Arshdeep Singh removed skipper Aiden Markram for seven off 15 deliveries. With the commanding start, India will aim to go 1-0 up in the three-match series. The second ODI is scheduled to be played in Raipur on Wednesday, December 3.

Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.