‘We are not blind or deaf’ - Aakash Chopra hails India's emerging all-rounder's mentality amid trolling
"I am enjoying saying that, 'You edited and made my meme, and I worked hard and made my dream.' If that meme had a face, that's Harshit Rana," said Chopra.
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Former opener Aakash Chopra has hailed Harshit Rana for his remarkable performances for India despite facing heavy trolling on social media. The Delhi pacer impressed everyone with his standout knock with the bat in the third ODI.
India went down 2-1 in the recently concluded ODI series against New Zealand. Despite the loss, Harshit emerged as one of the bright spots for the hosts, amassing 83 runs at a strike rate of 118.57 and claiming six wickets at an economy of 6.81 across the three matches.
Reflecting upon the young all-rounder’s improved performances since his debut, Chopra claimed that he has silenced his critics with his performance on the field.
"I am enjoying saying that, 'You edited and made my meme, and I worked hard and made my dream.' If that meme had a face, that's Harshit Rana. He has been trolled and criticized a lot, and it's been unfair many times. I actually remember making a video that it's not his fault if he is being selected," said Chopra on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’.
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He further claimed that players do read and listen to the criticism and trolling they face on social media. Amid all of it, Rana has stood tall.
"We are not blind or deaf. Everyone hears and sees what people are talking about you, that they are making fun of you. As a player, you bowl if you have a ball in your hand, and bat if you have a bat, and he has done both and how. If you look at ODI cricket for the last little while, he
Even though New Zealand won the series 2-1, the former Delhi batter believes that Rana played a crucial role in avoiding a series whitewash. He believes that if the 24-year-old had not scored a valuable 29 runs with the bat in the first ODI, India would have lost that match too.
"He is the one player who is making his place in every way. In fact, we would have lost this series 3-0 had he not scored those 29 runs in the first match in Vadodara and lost the last match by 70 runs had he not scored a fifty. He takes wickets regularly. The minimum is two," he said.
The pacer has been a regular feature in India’s white-ball plans since making his debut in 2025. He has also been named in India’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in India and Sri Lanka in February and March.
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