Harshit Rana Was 'Bothered' By Social Media Trolling. Ajinkya Rahane Makes Big Revelation

Veteran Indian cricket team batter Ajinkya Rahane revealed that all-rounder Harshit Rana was bothered by the criticism that he faced on social media following few below-par performances in IPL 2025. Rahane, who was Harshit's captain at Kolkata Knight Riders, said that the youngster was a 'little nervous and sad' but added that the all-rounder also took motivation from the negative comments. Harshit has faced a lot of criticism lately with even former national selector Kris Srikkanth suggesting that his constant selection in the national side was due to his proximity to Gautam Gambhir. Even fans on social media have accused Gambhir of favouritism as they claimed that Harshit was picked because of the time he spent under Gambhir's mentorship in KKR. 

“See, we actually spoke about social media when he was playing in the IPL last year. In certain matches, he did not do well and I saw basically, a little nervous, a little sad. I was talking about it," Rahane said on Cricbuzz.

“It was bothering him. He said that people are talking about me, but that actually motivates me. This is what he said. 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," Rahane added.

Meanwhile, Harshit confirmed that the team management has asked him to work on improving his batting skills.

Rana played a vital role in India's four-wicket victory in the opening ODI against New Zealand here on Sunday, taking a couple of wickets at the top to derail the Kiwis' progress and chipped in with a vital 29 off 23 late in the chase.

Rana batted ahead of an injured Washington Sundar, who suffered from a side strain, putting his availability in doubt for the second ODI on Wednesday.

"The team management wants to groom me as an all-rounder and it is my task to keep working on it," Rana told reporters here.

"I am working on it in the nets as well, and it was a matter of confidence which KL (Rahul) bhai helped me with when I went in (to bat). I kept my focus on it and made the runs," he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

Harshit Rana Ajinkya Rahane India Cricket Team New Zealand Cricket Team Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2026 Cricket