Harshal Patel turns 31: 5 things you didn’t know about RCB’s bowling star

#3 Harshal moved to Haryana from Gujarat

Harshal Patel plays a shot during the third T20I against New Zealand. Pic: Getty Images

Since he found it hard to break into the Gujarat domestic team, Harshal moved to Haryana. He made his presence felt right away. In his debut Ranji Trophy season in 2011-12, he ran through the Karnataka and Rajasthan batting line-ups, claiming eight-fors in the quarter-final and semi-final. He ended the Ranji Trophy season with 28 wickets.

In a decade-long first-class career, he has claimed 226 wickets in 64 matches at an average of 23.56 with 12 five-wicket hauls. He has also struck five half-centuries with a best of 83. In fact, Harshal even opened the batting for Haryana in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021/22.

---

#4 Harshal and Tewatia’s six-hitting competition

During IPL 2021, former India batter Ajay Jadeja had narrated an interesting story about a six-hitting competition that used to take place between Harshal and his Haryana teammate Rahul Tewatia. The latter represented Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2021.

Jadeja was the captain of Haryana during his last season in first-class cricket - 2013. Recalling that both Harshal and Tewatia loved hitting sixes, Jadeja told Cricbuzz:

“I remember Harshal Patel and Rahul Tewatia used to go out in the middle after practice and have a separate six-hitting competition. Tewatia didn’t play in the starting XI those days since (Yuzvendra) Chahal was part of the team. But I can distinctly recall that Tewatia's sixes were nowhere close to the distance Harshal’s strokes covered. The world hasn't seen his batting ability yet. He has all the attributes to be a good all-round player.”

Harshal struck 18 off 11 in the third T20I against New Zealand in Kolkata. He hit a few attractive strokes before being dismissed hit-wicket.

---

#5 7th Indian to bag player of the match on T20I debut

Harshal Patel celebrates a wicket with Rohit Sharma. Pic: Getty Images

Harshal made an instant impact on his T20I debut. He claimed 2 for 25 in the game at Ranchi, dismissing Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips. The pacer was named Player of the Match for his impressive bowling effort. Harshal thus became only the seventh Indian to win the man of the match award on his T20I debut.

Wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik was the first Indian to achieve the feat. He did so in India’s first T20I match, which was played against South Africa in December 2006. Karthik scored an unbeaten 31* off 28 as India chased down a target of 127.

Apart from Karthik, Subramaniam Badrinath, Pragyan Ojha, Axar Patel, Barinder Sran and Navdeep Saini (who incidentally is also celebrating his birthday today) won the player of their match on their T20I debut.