India’s squads for the Sri Lanka tour have caused a stir with the unexpected inclusion of fast bowler Harshit Rana in the ODI team, marking his maiden call-up at this level. Rana’s consistent performances, particularly highlighted by a strong IPL showing, had initially earmarked him for India’s T20I plans. However, his selection in the ODI squad prompted expressions of joy on social media, where he and his father shared their happiness.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav, India’s new T20I captain, responded warmly to Harshit Rana’s social media post, reflecting the camaraderie and support within the team for the young bowler’s achievement.
Suryakumar Yadav’s heart-touching reaction to Harshit Rana’s maiden ODI call-up
After the announcement of the squad, Harshit Rana expressed his happiness by lifting his father. The 22-year-old posted a picture with his father on Instagram with the caption, “This BELONGS to you…❤️🫂 LOVE YOU DAD🧿🫶.”
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav was mesmerized by seeing the bonding between a son and a father and replied to the post, “Wowwww what a sight 😍🧿.”
“Bhaiya❤️🫂,” Rana replied back to Suryakumar.
The whole conversation in the post was posted by the Kolkata Knight Riders on X (formerly Twitter). Harshit Rana is a fast bowler who plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In IPL 2024, Rana played a key role in KKR’s title win and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 19 wickets in 13 matches.
Memorable day for Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav had a significant day as he was named India’s new T20I captain following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format after India’s T20 World Cup 2024 victory. Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, two other senior players, also announced their retirements around the same time.
Initially, there was speculation that Hardik Pandya, who served as vice-captain during the T20 World Cup, would succeed Rohit as captain. However, concerns over Pandya’s fitness and workload management led the selectors to appoint Suryakumar Yadav instead. Pandya has been included in the T20I squad solely as a player.
Suryakumar Yadav’s first assignment as captain will be leading India in the upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, featuring three T20Is and three ODIs. Following the announcement, Surya’s childhood coach Ashok Aswalkar expressed his pride and happiness for him.
“I had messaged him in the afternoon saying that you would get a big message today, and in the evening, when we heard the news, I felt very proud… I feel very happy. Captaincy is a slightly different role. He played in the World Cup 2024 with great players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja. By playing with such great cricketers, we get to learn a lot,” Aswalkar was quoted as saying by TOI.
