‘Top class’, ‘big heart’: Harshit Rana lauded for final over in KKR win despite big ‘flying kiss’ fine

KKR all-rounder Andre Russell lauded seamer Harshit Rana’s final over heroics in the team’s thrilling four-run win over against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024 match at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.

Requiring 13 in the final over against Kolkata Knight Riders, SRH batter Heinrich Klaasen started with a six against Rana before the bowler scripted a remarkable turnaround with slower balls, conceding only two more runs and picking up two wickets for the win.

“To win with four runs (left), I would say that’s a big heart (shown by Rana),” said Russell, who blasted a cracking 23-ball 64* to propel KKR from a top-order wobble to 208 for seven and also chipped in with two wickets.

READ: Who is Harshit Rana? KKR’s match-saving hero

“He wanted the ball to bowl and that was the most important thing heading into the last over,” Russell added. SRH were looking dangerous after Klaasen had struck KKR’s star pacer Mitchell Starc for 26 runs including four sixes in the penultimate over.

Rana and Russell were the architects of KKR’s win on Saturday. (BCCI)

Speaking on turning his fortunes around after conceding the six first ball, Rana said: “I was thinking the match would end the next ball, or if my plans work, the game would go deep.”

Rana followed up with a slower ball which Klaasen turned for a single before dismissing Shahbaz Ahmad. A single from Marco Jansen brought Klaasen back on strike. The 22-year-old rolled in another slower ball outside the off-stump, prompting a leading edge from Klaasen, pouched by Suyash Sharma at short third with a spectacular diving catch.

‘Absolutely top class’

India batting legend Sunil Gavaskar commended Rana’s turnaround in the final over. “He totally learned from that first ball he bowled; it was a quicker delivery and it was pulled for a six by Klaasen. The next five deliveries he took the pace off, bowled those slow cutters, slower off-cutters which actually meant that there was no pace coming off the surface for the batters to play the big shot.

“Fantastic over, absolutely top class over from Harshit Rana. I think they gave (Player of the Match) Russell for his 2 wickets and 64 the player of the match, but they must also give something to Harshit Rana for his spell and particularly for that last over,” Gavaskar told on Star Sports.

Rana fined 60 percent match fees for ‘flying kiss’ send-off to Mayank Agarwal

Despite his matchwinning heroics, the 22-year-old Rana received a hefty fine for giving an animated send-off to SRH opener Mayank Agarwal earlier in the match. Rana bounced out Agarwal in the sixth over of the final before gesturing a ‘flying kiss’ send-off to the batter followed by a cold stare.

Sealed with a kiss 🫣

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Rana was fined 60 percent of his match fees after breaching two Level 1 offences under Article 2.5 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct.

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