IND vs NZ 2026: 'Really improving in his batting' - Shubman Gill praises Harshit Rana for all-round skills

India captain Shubman Gill praised young pacer Harshit Rana for his batting contributions during the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, highlighting the growing importance of depth in the batting order despite India’s 2-1 series defeat. Apart from being India's highest wicket-taker of the three-match series, the Delhi cricketer also had notable contributions with the bat, showcasing some top level all-round abilities.

India went down by 41 runs in the third ODI at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Sunday, January 18. Batting first, New Zealand posted a formidable 337/8, powered by centuries from Daryl Mitchell (137 off 131) and Glenn Phillips (106 off 88). In response, the Men in Blue were bundled out for 296 despite a valiant 124 off 108 balls from Virat Kohli, which eventually cost them the match as well as resulted in a series defeat.

India’s chase faltered early after losing four wickets for 71 runs, but Kohli found support from Nitish Kumar Reddy (53 off 57) and Rana, who struck a counter-attacking 52 off 43 balls. Rana’s innings followed his useful contributions earlier in the series, including a 29 off 23 in the opening ODI at Vadodara, batting at a crucial juncture of the run chase alongside KL Rahul. Gill underlined Rana’s improvement with the bat and the strategic importance of the No. 8 position in modern one-day cricket.

“In the first ODI, the knock that he played, and in this one, he's someone who is really improving in his batting. The position that he is batting at, No. 8, it's a really important position for us. All the other teams in the world, they bat really deep. Whenever we play, we play with five batsmen and then we try to play a couple of all-rounders," Gill said at post-match conference.

Gill further emphasised the team’s intent to back bowlers who can contribute with the bat, noting Rana’s potential as a long-term asset for the Indian team, especially in the white-ball formats.

“It's always our aim to give opportunities to players who can bat as well. Very happy to see how he is growing and contributing to the team. He could be a great prospect for us. You don't get that many bowlers who bowl 140 (kph) consistently with the height that he's got. The way he is batting, if he keeps on improving, he could be really good,” the Indian captain added.

Rana finished the series with 83 runs at an average of 27.67 and a strike rate of 118.57 that provided late-order momentum, adding a positive note to India’s otherwise disappointing home series, which saw the visiting New Zealand side register their maiden ODI series victory on Indian soil.