'Bowler can’t even hold ball properly' - India coach credits Harshit Rana after India's triumph in Ranchi ODI

India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak commended Harshit Rana's bowling performance with the new ball after the first ODI of the three-match series between India and South Africa. South Africa eventually fell 17 runs short of their target in Ranchi to go 0-1 behind in the series.

Kotak pointed out how batting-friendly the conditions were at the JSCA International Stadium Complex. He praised Harshit for scalping the two wickets in his very first over and not letting South Africa gain any early advantage.

“I think 350 on the same surface, if they were batting, then 350 would definitely be enough. But after so much dew, the bowler can’t even hold the ball properly. The ball is skidding off the wicket and coming straight onto the bat. I think a lot of credit goes to Harshit as well for taking those early wickets, because otherwise it would have been quite easy for them to score runs in such heavy dew,” Kotak said at the post-match press conference.

Kotak also shed light on how Harshit made the most of the conditions through his accuracy and rattled the Proteas with his double strikes of Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock.

“So, losing the toss and still winning this game, I think it’s very creditable. I think he was moving the ball well, he was hitting the right areas in the early part of the innings because a Kookaburra ball probably swings for two, four, maybe five overs. I think he made the most of it,” he added.

Dewald Brevis (37 off 28) was Harshit's third wicket. The right-arm pacer finished with figures of 3/65 in 10 overs. His spell consisted of 33 dot balls. Kuldeep Yadav bagged four wickets, while Arshdeep Singh chipped in with a couple.

India will face South Africa in the second match in Raipur on December 3 followed by the third in Visakhapatnam on December 6. The Men in Blue will then head into the five-match T20Is series to conclude the all-format assignment.