Harshit Rana celebrated his maiden Test wicket with an exuberant aeroplane gesture, punching the air and spreading his arms in delight. The young pacer from Delhi cleaned up Travis Head on Friday during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener at Perth’s Optus Stadium, marking a significant milestone in his cricketing journey. Rana’s effort came after India managed a modest total of 150 in their first innings.
Making his mark early, Rana bowled a maiden over to start his Test career. Though his second over saw Head striking a couple of boundaries, the 22-year-old pacer rebounded in his third over, delivering a crucial breakthrough. A good-length delivery angled in sharply, beating Head’s outside edge and dislodging the top of the off stump. The dismissal left Australia struggling at 31/4.
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What a way to get your maiden Test wicket! ⚡️#DeliveredwithSpeed | #AUSvIND | @NBN_Australia pic.twitter.com/IkykgwUEWW
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 22, 2024
Before Rana’s heroics, stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah dominated with the ball, dismissing Nathan McSweeney (10), Usman Khawaja (8), and Steve Smith (0) in a fiery opening spell.
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Earlier in the day, debutant Nitish Reddy showed resilience with a gritty 41, while Rishabh Pant added some flair with a daring 37, including an awe-inspiring no-look six off Pat Cummins. Their 48-run partnership for the seventh wicket provided a glimmer of hope in India’s otherwise dismal batting performance. The top-order fell victim to the combined menace of Mitchell Starc (2/14) and Josh Hazlewood (4/29), whose bounce and seam movement wreaked havoc.
Despite the early setback, India’s pace attack brought them back into the game with a strong performance.
