IND vs NZ: "How it started vs how it's going" - Harshal Patel shares pictures with Rahul Dravid

Harshal Patel made his India debut in the recently concluded 3-0 T20 International (T20I) series sweep against New Zealand. It was also a winning start for Rahul Dravid as the Indian men's team's head coach.

Dravid is someone most players look up to and has guided several during his stints as the head coach of the India Under-19 team and head of the National Cricket Academy.

Harshal Patel took to Instagram today to share 'before and after' pictures with Dravid. The first picture was from Dravid's playing days, when Harshal was just a teenager, while the second was from the recent series against New Zealand.

"How it started vs how it's going," he captioned the picture.

Harshal Patel shines as India beat New Zealand in T20I series

Harshal Patel made his India debut in the second T20I against New Zealand, in Ranchi. He replaced Mohammed Siraj, who picked up an injury during the first T20I in Jaipur, which India won by five wickets.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 Purple Cap winner made an instant impression, with a player of the match performance in his first match with figures of 2/25. He picked up the wickets of Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips.

India won the match by seven wickets, with openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul hitting half-centuries.

In the third T20I, Harshal impressed with both bat and ball. With India batting first, he scored 18 off 11. He then picked up two wickets as India successfully defended their total of 184/7.

Harshal Patel was picked for India after a stellar display in IPL 2021. His knack of taking wickets at the death played a crucial role in Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) reaching the knockout stages.

He started the season with a five-wicket haul against the Mumbai Indians and in RCB's reverse fixture against them, he took a hat-trick.

He finished the season with 32 wickets, the joint-highest in the tournament's history along with Dwayne Bravo.

The series also marked a winning start for Rahul Dravid as India's head coach. His next assignment will be the two-match Test series against New Zealand, which will begin tomorrow in Kanpur.