An Oddsworth Opinion
The bill that comes with every Harshit Rana wicket
Harshit Rana is fit again, and many India fans expect a fit Rana to walk straight back into the one-day pace attack. His India A recall for the Rising Stars Asia Cup brings that view back into the open, along with a reminder that his wickets have always come with a bill attached.
Those wickets have been genuine, with 26 in 14 men's ODIs over the last two years at a bowling average of 27.38, better than the 31.42 for bowlers across men's ODIs in that time.
How expensive has Harshit Rana been in ODIs?
The bill arrives through his economy rate of 6.22 an over, against 5.3 for bowlers across men's ODIs. His four full ten-over spells in his last ten matches went for 65, 70, 65 and 84.
His best day came in the third match against Australia in October 2025, when he took 4/39 from 8.4 overs, and those expensive ten-over spells against South Africa and New Zealand all followed it. Rana takes his wickets in clusters while handing batters a run of easy overs in between, which is a hard trade for a captain to carry through a one-day innings.
1.9 a match in his career
How does Rana rank among India's domestic one-day bowlers?
Our domestic one-day ratings place him 52nd of 124 bowlers, 2.89 runs a match worse than an average bowler. Among bowlers across every side in men's ODIs he sits 56th of 91, which makes him a middling seamer on either list.
Ajinkya Rahane left him out of his five-man pace attack for the 2027 World Cup, and on those numbers that call is defensible. A bowler rated below average on his own domestic circuit has to show more than the odd big day to be picked ahead of the rest.
What should the Rising Stars Asia Cup show?
Rana has already shown he can take one-day wickets, so the useful evidence from this tournament is what each one costs him. A run of tidy spells for India A would be a good first sign of control after his injury, but one tournament is a start, and that control has to carry into domestic one-day cricket and back into ODIs before it earns him a World Cup place.
Until then he is a squad seamer who has to earn his place back. The World Cup seat goes to whoever keeps the bill smallest.