Former India player turned cricket analyst Gautam Gambhir was extremely impressed with the pacer Harshal Patel’s performance on his debut for the Indian team in the second T20I against New Zealand in Ranchi on Friday. The speedster claimed the wickets of Glenn Phillips (34) and Daryl Mitchell (31) to finish with a brilliant figures of 2 for 25 from his 4 overs as well.

“Harshal Patel was unbelievable. It never looked like he was playing his first game. Very impressed with his effort. That is what 8-10 years of first-class cricket and a fabulous IPL season can do to you. You play your first game for India, you know your game much better. You are no more a rookie and if you have done that in IPL, which is high-quality cricket, when you have had that kind of success, you come here and feel you can continue doing the same thing. That is what Harshal has done tonight. Really happy for him because he has delivered on the big stage today,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.

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Harshal Patel earned his maiden call-up on the back of a stunning IPL 2021 season where he had finished as the most successful bowler with 32 wickets in 15 matches while playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore as well. As far as the series is concerned, India has won the second match as well as the three-match T20I series. The third match will take place on Sunday.

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“It’s a great feeling playing for the country. I love the game and the ultimate goal for any player is to play for the country, it’s an honour, it’s a privilege and I’m not going to take it for granted. Rahul (Dravid) sir has always told me that once you are done with the preparations, you gotta go out there and enjoy the game. I’ve reached here on the back of a good IPL, so it’s a satisfying moment for me,” Harshal Patel said on Star Sports.