Yes! It’s my natural game. I played the whole Ranji season (2022-23) that way. I concentrate on my game all the time. That doesn’t mean the match situation doesn’t matter, but my game plan is to execute my shots if the ball is in my strike zone. My coaches from club level always told me I could hit, Rana said after his second game of the day.

However, Harshit’s main specialty remains bowling, and he can bowl at over 140 km/h, which he often demonstrated while playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Harshit says the mentorship of bowling coaches Bharat Arun and Omkar Salvi has benefited him immensely.

I benefited a lot from the coaches (Bharat) Arun sir and (Omkar) Salvi sir. They always give me a lot of advice, not only about cricket but also about life. They treat me like their son.

Arun sir has helped me a lot with IPL pressure. He told me to focus on my strengths, bowl freely, support myself and stick to my plans. It worked well for me in all formats. Their advice on adjusting the length depending on the formats (red ball and white ball) was very valuable, he said.

Harshit also thanked KKR captain Nitish Rana for recommending him to the IPL franchise, opening the door to more opportunities for him.

Nitish Bhai has been a tremendous support to me. If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have gotten