Former Indian opener, Gautam Gambhir has showered praises on the Indian fast bowler, Harshal Patel for putting in an impressive showing on their international debut during the second T20I against New Zealand on Friday, November 19. The pacer came in the playing XI in place of Mohammed Siraj, who injured his finger, in the Ranchi T20 that the Men in Blue won to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Gautam Gambhir, who retired from all forms of cricket in December 2018, said that Harshal Patel didn’t seem like he was playing his first international match in the national jersey. The veteran said that playing domestic cricket for a long time and an impressive outing in IPL 2021 helped the fast bowler to a large extent.

During a chat on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir said, “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.”

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He further added, “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.”

On Friday, Harshal Patel finished his debut match with figures of 4-0-25-2 and picked up the crucial wickets of Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips. On the back of his spell, the Indian bowlers managed to restrict the Kiwis to 153 and then won the game by seven wickets with 16 balls left.

Harshal came into the series after winning the Purple Cap in the 2021 IPL. He also picked up a hat-trick against Mumbai Indians, the five-time IPL champions. Following the game on Friday, Patel talked about how grateful he was after donning the Indian jersey.

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Talking about the same, after the match, Harshal Patel said, “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 honor, it’s a privilege and I’m not going to take it for granted.”