"God's plan"- Fans react as Harshit Rana gets maiden India call-up for first two T20Is against Zimbabwe

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Harshit Rana has received his maiden India call-up for the first two T20Is against Zimbabwe. He has been named as one of the three replacements for the members of India's T20 World Cup winning squad.

According to a media release by the BCCI, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal will travel with the rest of the T20 World Cup squad to India and will not be available for selection for the first two T20Is. Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma, and Harshit Rana have been the replacements named for the games on the 6th and 7th of July.

Fans on X (formerly Twitter) were thrilled to see Harshit finally get his opportunity after initially not being picked in the squad.

One user wrote:

"Glad to see Harshit Rana in. If anything he should have been named earlier #ZIMvIND."

"Harshit's inclusion in the Ict setup is good news for fans. While he may not get any matches in this series, there is no need to worry. Once he starts getting games, he will easily overshadow Deshpande, Mukesh, and others," wrote another fan.

Another fan asserted:

"God's plan baby. So happy for you, Harshit💜"

Here are some of the other reactions:

India's squad for the first two T20Is: Shubman Gill (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Harshit Rana.

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Harshit Rana's breakout IPL 2024

One of the main reasons why many were surprised to see Harshit miss out on the initial squad was the sensational IPL 2024 that he had with the ball for KKR.

In 13 matches, Harshit picked up as many as 19 wickets at an economy rate of 9.08. He picked up crucial wickets in the middle overs as well as at the death for the Knight Riders. His ability to use the long handle down the order could make him a crucial bowling all-rounder for India if groomed properly.