India’s veteran batter Rohit Sharma showered praise on Harshit Rana after the Men in Blue registered a comprehensive nine-wicket win against Australia in the third ODI at Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday. 

Rana bagged 4-39 in 8.4 overs he bowled in the third ODI at the SCG on Saturday and returned with his best-bowling figures in ODIs. The lanky pacer accounted for Alex Carey, Mitchell Owen, Cooper Connolly, and Josh Hazlewood. Thus, he played a key role in bundling out Australia at 236 and Rohit said the youngster was one of the positives for the team in the series.

Rohit said on BCCI.TV, “Unfortunately, we couldn’t win the series. But I think it’s still a very relatively young team. A lot of the guys haven’t been here and played white-ball cricket. So we can take a lot of positives also from here. Especially Harshit Rana, who was playing white-ball cricket for the first time in Australia. The way he bowled in both the games. Perth, obviously, was a shortened game. But looking at how he bowled in Adelaide and also here (in Sydney), was a fantastic effort from him.”

Rana ended the three-match series against Australia as the leading wicket-taker with six wickets at an average of 20.83. The fast bowler from Delhi made the most of his variations throughout the series and also scored a crucial knock of 24 runs off 18 balls in the second game at Adelaide.

The 23-year-old will look to continue his rich form, and the performance in the third ODI would have given him a lot of confidence.

Rana will be seen in action in the upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia, which will commence on Wednesday.

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma scored an unbeaten knock of 121 runs off 125 balls in the run chase of 237 and was awarded Player of the Match.