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Harshit Rana was ‘bothered’ by social media trolling, which made him ‘nervous, sad’: ‘We all thought…’
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane revealed how Harshit Rana dealt with vicious comments on social media.
Ever since making his India debut in 2024, Harshit Rana has been a punching bag for trolls on social media. Despite the 24-year-old stepping up for the team with the ball in tough situations, fans on X (formerly Twitter) have been harsh on the youngster, who hails from Delhi. Not just the netizens, even former national selector Kris Srikkanth had a go at the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) speedster after he was picked in the squad for the Australia ODIs, saying he just gets the nod repeatedly due to his proximity to head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Srikkanth alleged that Rana gets picked because he's a constant yes man to the former India opener. Gambhir then issued a passionate defence during a press conference, saying people need to be mindful of what they say about young cricketers, and such unjust criticism is unwarranted.
It is also worth mentioning that Rana's debut for India was scrutinised, as it occurred immediately after the IPL 2025 retentions. Many social media users went after Gambhir, alleging that he prioritised the best interests of KKR, as an uncapped player would have been easier to retain for a lower price.
Ajinkya Rahane, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain, finally revealed that Rana was indeed bothered by the campaign against him during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. The seasoned Indian batter said that he had a word with Rana during the season when the performances weren't coming consistently.
Also Read: Harshit Rana fires back on question of lack of wickets with new ball in Bumrah's absence
“See, we actually spoke about social media when he was playing in the IPL last year. In certain matches, he didn't do well, and I saw basically, a little nervous, a little sad. I was talking about it. It was bothering him. He said people are talking about me, but that actually motivates me. This is what he said,” Rahane said on Cricbuzz.
“When I see all the comments, when I see what they are writing about me, they don't know how hard I have worked in my bowling. So that actually motivates me to do well for the team. I said, ‘Are you okay with all that?’ He said I am okay to read all the comments,” he added.
Rana returns with a crucial performance
In the first ODI against New Zealand, Rana took two wickets and also scored a crucial 29 runs, helping India win the game by four wickets and six balls to spare.
Speaking about Rana, Rahane further revealed that the pacer gets motivated when there is chatter happening about him, and he feeds off the comments made by the naysayers.
“He said I want to read those comments to get motivated to do well for the team. I think that really helps him. I have seen him using AirPods during practice sessions when he was bowling, just to cut out the noise. That is his method to cut out his noise,” said Rahane.
“We all thought what he was doing? Why is he wearing those AirPods? Later, we got to know that he just wanted to cut the noise. When he is bowling, he just wants to get in the zone, bowl with the same intensity and mindset,” he added.
