'Absolutely top class from..': Sunil Gavaskar lavishes IMMENSE praise on 22-year-old KKR revelation

It only took three matches for the IPL to take its best form, the KKR vs SRH match showcased what the IPL is all about. Pure cricketing action for a full 40 overs and no sign of what the outcome would be till the final ball. It was the night when heavyweights like Andre Russell and Heinrich Klassen fired on all cylinders but it was the youngster, Harshit Rana, who influenced the bottom line at the iconic Eden Gardens on Saturday.

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IPL 2024: Harshit Rana held the nerves to win the match for KKR

Sunrisers Hyderabad had turned the match on its head in the penultimate over. Klassen and Shahbaz Ahmed took IPL's most expensive signing, Mitchell Starc, to the cleaners. The batters got hold of the pacer and collected as many as 26 runs in his over. Subsequently, 13 runs were needed in the final over. Captain, Shreyas Iyer had the option of handing the ball to Andre Russell, who already had taken two scalps in the match, but he went with the young Harshit Rana, telling him "It's your moment".  Rana had the daunting task of defending 13 runs in the last over, the challenge became even harder after he was struck for a six on the first ball. With 7 needed in 6 balls, it was almost curtains for Kolkata Knight Riders, but Rana held his nerves and pulled his side back by picking the prized wickets of Ahmed and Klassen. Eventually, KKR won the match by 4 runs and Rana emerged as the hero for the team.

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IPL 2024 KKR vs SRH: Sunil Gavaskar lavishes praise on Harshit Rana

Witnessing him deliver at the clutch situation, legendary India batter, Sunil Gavaskar lavished heavy praise on Harshit Rana. Gavaskar was impressed with how Rana made a transition after being hit for a six on the first ball. He further noted that Rana knew how to take the purchase from the pitch and bowled accordingly to yield the ideal result for himself and the team.

"Fantastic. He totally learned from that first ball he bowled; it was a quicker delivery, and it was pulled for a six by Klaasen. The next five deliveries, he took the pace off, bowled those slow cutters, slower off-cutters, which actually meant that there was no pace coming off the surface for the batters to play the big shot. So fantastic over, absolutely top class over from Harshit Rana. I think they gave Russell for his 2 wickets and 64 the player of the match, but they must also give something to Harshit Rana for his spell and particularly for that last over." Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports.