"My aim is to play for India": Harshit Rana

After Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) impressive 98-run win over Lucknow Super Giants in the 2024 Indian Premier League at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, promising right-arm seamer Harshit Rana expressed his aspirations of playing for the national team one day. The victory elevated KKR to the top of the IPL standings with 16 points and a net run rate of +1.453.

Reflecting on the match, Rana credited their success to a strategic approach to the game, saying, "KKR read the wicket very well. The areas we had to bowl, we targeted the right places. We focus a lot on the style of cricket that Gautam Gambhir wants us to play. He has a lot of knowledge on how to turn games in our favour. Like today he gave the bowlers a free hand on what areas to target on the pitch."

Rana also praised teammate Mitchell Starc, despite the Australian's costly spells in the IPL 2024, stating, "We have not cared even for a bit on how expensive Mitchell Starc has been in IPL 2024. We have full faith in him and he won us the last game and we have no doubts on him whatsoever. He has such a great influence on the younger players, he has such a huge wealth of knowledge."

Determined to make his mark, Rana added, "My aim is to play for India but whatever franchise I play for I try to give my best on the day of the match. I will be selected based on my performance and