New Delhi, Oct 23 (NationPress) Harshit Rana’s childhood coach, Shravan Kumar, discussed the pacer’s impact during the second ODI against Australia, which wrapped up on Thursday at the Adelaide Oval. He also shared insights on Virat Kohli’s consecutive ducks and the overall team performance.

With some impressive innings from Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and Axar Patel, India set a solid total. In this context, Rana made a significant contribution with an unbeaten 24 off 18 balls, hitting three boundaries as he batted with precision and confidence. He also claimed two wickets in the second innings as India attempted to curb Australia’s chase, though ultimately, the Men in Blue lost by two wickets.

In an exclusive conversation with IANS, Kumar praised Rana for stepping up when the team needed him most, highlighting his consistent training of bowlers, including Ishant Sharma, to ensure they can also contribute runs when required.

“I saw him perform today. He batted exceptionally well. I always train my bowlers to step up with the bat, which is a significant advantage. Ishant Sharma has also frequently supported his partners with crucial runs at No. 11,” Kumar stated.

As for Virat Kohli, he faced his second consecutive duck in the series, marking his first score of 0 in Adelaide. Kumar pointed out that a lack of active play and unwillingness to practice can hinder a player's performance.

“Concentration is vital during matches, and factors like age and commitment play a role. This could be a sign of Kohli losing touch. Players need to be prepared for all formats—Tests, ODIs, or T20Is. A casual approach can develop if someone plays just one format,” he explained.

Despite a decent showing from Indian batters, they fell short as Australia chased down the target with 22 balls to spare, with dropped catches contributing to the loss, sealing the series for Australia with one match left to play.

Kumar believes that the players struggled to adapt to Australian conditions, which ultimately contributed to their defeat. He emphasized the differences between Indian and Australian pitches, particularly the bounce factor.

“We failed to adjust to the Australian environment. We should have played a few practice matches to get acquainted with the conditions. The bounce on Indian pitches is knee-high, whereas Australian pitches offer waist-height bounce, which we struggled with. In Test matches, we saw poor dismissals, yet we managed a comeback. However, in ODIs, there is no chance for redemption,” he concluded.

vi/