Pacer Harshit Rana may have ended the Sydney ODI as one of the heroes of India’s nine-wicket win, but behind the scenes came a moment of blunt honesty from head coach Gautam Gambhir.

With outside criticism swirling over Rana’s place in the XI and murmurs of “favouritism” linked to his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) connection, Gambhir reportedly laid it out plain: “Perform kar, warna bahar bitha doonga.”

According to Rana’s childhood coach Shravan Kumar, Gambhir’s message was a mix of scolding and motivation.

As per a Times of India report, Rana called Shravan before the match, admitting the weight of expectations pressing on him and his determination to shut out the critics—a goal Gambhir’s words ultimately helped him achieve.

“He called me and told me that he wanted to shut the outside

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