‘Perform kar, warna bitha dunga’: How Gautam Gambhir scolded Harshit Rana & gave him ultimatum

It was almost a perform-or-perish moment for Harshit Rana after he struggled in the first two one-day internationals against Australia. Before the third ODI in Sydney, pressure on Rana was immense. The 23-year-old pacer had been battered by criticism, labelled a “favourite” of Gautam Gambhir. With him being a constant figure in most of India’s squads led to a meltdown among fans and put pressure on the Delhi lad.

His first two outings in the series were forgettable as well, with just two wickets for 86 runs, and his place was hanging by a thread. For India’s new head coach Gautam Gambhir, who had gone out on a limb defending him, the pressure was just as real too.

Gambhir’s tough love before Sydney showdown

On the eve of the Sydney ODI, Gambhir finally dropped the friendly mentor act and delivered a brutal reality check. “Perform kar, warna bahar bitha dunga (Perform or I’ll drop you),” he told Rana, a line that fueled fire in Rana’s belly. The warning worked like a spark. Rana came back roaring, delivering his best ODI spell with figures of 4 for 39 as India bowled out Australia for 236. The Delhi pacer generated sharp bounce and seam off the SCG surface, using his height to trouble even the set batters.

The post ‘Perform kar, warna bitha dunga’: How Gautam Gambhir scolded Harshit Rana & gave him ultimatum appeared first on Inside Sport India.

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