Author: Sarita Jena

Whenever India and Australia play Test cricket, there’s a good chance that tensions might rise. The first big clash in this ongoing series is between Indian bowler Mohammed Siraj and Australian batter Travis Head. After their recent match, the captains—Pat Cummins from Australia and Rohit Sharma from India—were asked about it during a press conference.

Cummins grew frustrated with the questions about Siraj claiming that Head “lied” about what was said during the match. He responded, “I reckon we’ve spoken enough about that,” before leaving the press conference when an Indian reporter asked about the incident.

Here’s how it all started: Siraj got Head out after Head scored an impressive 140 runs. India lost the match by 10 wickets, and Australia continued their strong record in pink-ball Tests played in Adelaide. After Head got out, Siraj celebrated, and Head reacted with words of his own.

In a press conference, Head said he told Siraj “well bowled” after getting out, and he was disappointed with Siraj’s response. He mentioned that he was just trying to stand up for himself and that he liked to play the game respectfully.

On the other hand, Siraj strongly disagreed. He said Head didn’t compliment him at all. “It was a tough battle, and when I got him out, I celebrated. He said something to me too,” Siraj explained. He insisted that Head’s claim of saying “well bowled” was not true, adding, “Everyone saw that I didn’t say anything bad to him.”

Harshit Rana is just starting his journey in Test cricket, and he has quickly experienced the ups and downs of the game. In his debut match in Perth, he performed well, taking three important wickets. He got rid of players like Travis Head and Mitchell Starc and even shone in a practice match by taking 4 wickets for 44 runs.

However, things didn’t go as smoothly in his second Test in Adelaide. India struggled, and Harshit found it tough to bowl with the pink ball, allowing Australia to score 86 runs without any wickets from him. As his team prepares for the next match in Brisbane, Harshit’s spot in the team is uncertain. With reports suggesting that Mohammed Shami might return and Akash Deep waiting for a chance, Harshit could find himself out of the lineup.

Throughout this, Harshit remembers the advice from his father, Pradeep Rana, a former athlete. His dad challenged him to bowl really fast: “I want you to bowl at 150 kph. If you can, no one can stop you from playing for India. But if you can only manage 125 kph, even local clubs might not pick you.”

Harshit, only 22 years old, has time on his side to improve his speed and skills, but he knows competition is tough. Other fast bowlers like Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan also want to play in Test matches. Harshit’s personality shines through his celebrations, but he knows that he must improve his bowling speed to succeed.

India needs a fast bowler who can regularly bowl at least in the 140s to compete well, especially in countries like Australia. Currently, the top three bowlers are Shami, Siraj, and Bumrah, but if any of them struggle, Harshit, Arshdeep, Avesh, or even Yash Dayal, who is also trying to get into the team, may get a chance.

Right now, Harshit is bowling in the late 120s to mid-130s. To succeed in Australia, he’ll need to reach 140-142 kph. The pitch helped him in Perth, but it was different in Adelaide. Brisbane could be Harshit’s last chance to keep his dream of playing Test cricket for India alive.