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Following the victory against Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League 2024, Kolkata Knight Riders right-arm seamer Harshit Rana shared his desire to play for India one day.
KKR bowlers shined to beat LSG by 98 runs in the 54th match of the IPL 2024 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Sunday. With the massive win against the Lucknow-based franchise, KKR moved to the top of the table with 16 points and a net run rate of +1.453. The fast bowler asserted that the Knight Riders read the wicket very well and the bowlers targetted at the right places. "KKR read the wicket very well. The areas we had to bowl, we targeted the right places. We focus a lot on the style of cricket that Gautam Gambhir wants us to play. He has a lot of knowledge on how to turn games in our favour. Like today he gave the bowlers a free hand on what areas to target on the pitch," Rana said in the post-match press conference. The youngster also spoke about star Australia bowler Mitchell Starc. "We have not cared even for a bit on how expensive Mitchell Starc has been in IPL 2024. We have full faith in him and he won us the last game and we have no doubts on him whatsoever. He has such a great influence on the younger players, he has such a huge wealth of knowledge," the uncapped Indian cricketer added. In the end, Rana said he would try to give his best for whatever team he plays. "My aim is to play for India but whatever franchise I play for I try to give my best on the day of the match. I will be selected based on my performance and performance alone," the 22-year-old player concluded. Summarizing the match, LSG opted to field first after winning the toss. Narine's 81, combined with solid knocks from Phil Salt (32 in 14 balls, with five fours and a six), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (32 in 26 balls, with three fours and a six) and Ramandeep Singh (25* in six balls, with a four and three sixes) took KKR to 235/6 in their 20 overs. Naveen-ul-Haq (3/49) was the pick of the bowlers for LSG. Yash Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi and Yudhvir Singh got a wicket each. In the run chase of 236, Lucknow lost wickets at regular intervals. Marcus Stoinis (36 in 21 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and skipper KL Rahul (25 in 21 balls, with three fours) were the top scorers as LSG bundled out for 137 in 16.1 overs. Harshit Rana (3/24) and Varun Aaron (3/30) were the top wicket-takers for KKR. KKR is at the top with eight wins, three losses and 16 points. LSG is at fifth with six wins, five losses and 12 points. Sunil Narine took home the 'Player of the Match' for his one wicket and 81-run knock. (ANI)
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