On Saturday, October 25, Team India pacer Harshit Rana delivered an excellent performance that saw India win Australia at the Sydney Cricket ground by 9 wickets. His contribution saved India the 300 series of whitewash on the ODI series. The two wicket losses had been previously in Perth by seven and in Adelaide by two wickets (DLS method).
Harshit was very controlled and aggressive in his bowling and ended with 4-39/8.4 overs as Australia was bowled out in 236/46.4 overs. The pressure came on him even before the game, particularly following the criticism of his previous performances by other ex-players such as Kris Srikkanth and Mohammad Kaif.
So far Harshit played in eight ODIs. His good performance in Sydney has been compared to that of pacer Mohammad Shami in his early career statistics since both had recorded similar performance in their early matches.
1. Harshit Rana vs Mohammad Shami – Who has more wickets and a better average after 8 ODIs?
Harshit Rana has a very good average of 20.75 having picked up 16 wickets in his first eight ODIs. Six of those were against Australia and he impressed against England and Bangladesh also. He was one of the bright young talents of fast bowling with consistent control and pace in India.
By contrast, Mohammad Shami had a relatively low profile during his first eight ODIs with a wicket count of six with an average of 56.50. He demonstrated some signs of his potential, but Shami needed time to adjust to his rhythm and precision on the international level.
2. Harshit Rana vs Mohammad Shami – Who has a better economy rate after 8 ODIs?
Harshit has maintained a decent economy rate of 5.82 across eight games. He was slightly expensive against Australia and England but showed great discipline against Bangladesh and Pakistan. His ability to bowl in both powerplays and death overs has been a key factor in his early success.
Shami, on the other hand, had a better economy rate of 4.98 in his first eight matches. Despite not picking many wickets, he kept things tight with good line and length, especially against Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
3. Harshit Rana vs Mohammad Shami – Who has more four-wicket hauls after 8 ODIs?
Harshit already has a four-wicket bag already in his brief ODI career. His highest score of 4 out of 39 was also against Australia at Sydney wherein he was very accurate and fast in his bowling. He also had three wickets against Bangladesh and England, which revealed that he was consistent in various conditions.
Shami, though, did not make any four wicket hauls in his first eight ODs. His highest score was 1/23 and this indicated that he was still in his early years of getting used to the 50 over game then.
4. Harshit Rana vs Mohammad Shami – Who has a better record in wins after 8 ODIs?
Harshit has also appeared in half a dozen successful games against India in which he has collected 14 wickets with an average of 17.57 at an economy of 5.46. In his performances in wins, it is evident that he can give match winning spells when the required times come.
Shami also contributed to six of the eight ODIs he had participated in but achieved only five wickets on the eight games at an average of 45. His rate of 4.59 in the economy was admirable but he did not have the wicket taking prowess that Harshit has demonstrated in the initial days of his career.
