They say cricket is a game of uncertainties, but for Devon Conway in this India vs New Zealand 3-match ODI series, there was one painful certainty: Harshit Rana.
The statistics are damning. In a battle that was supposed to be experience vs. youth, the Indian pacer has completely dismantled the Kiwi opener. Three innings, three dismissals, and a humiliating average of 6.0 against the bowler. Conway, usually a rock for New Zealand, looked more like a walking wicket every time Harshit Rana marked his run-up.
The Final Nail: Today’s First-Ball Duck
The psychological damage was on full display in today’s ongoing 3rd ODI in Indore. After being tormented in Vadodara and Rajkot, Conway’s confidence was clearly shattered.
Harshit Rana didn’t even let him settle. Steaming in for his very first delivery of the spell, Rana bowled a length ball in the channel outside off. A confident Conway would have left it alone. But a rattled Conway? He poked at it uncertainly, with hard hands and zero footwork. The edge flew low and fast, straight into the safe hands of Rohit Sharma at slip. 0 runs off 1 ball. It wasn’t just a wicket; it was a statement. Rana owns that corridor, and he owns Conway.
A Trilogy of Terror ft. Harshit Rana
To understand today's dismissal, you have to look at the buildup. Rana has systematically picked apart Conway's technique in all series:
1st ODI (Vadodara): Rana cramped Conway for room, forcing a thick inside edge that crashed into the stumps as he tried to drive.
2nd ODI (Rajkot): The "Ball of the Series." Rana produced a jaffa that nipped back sharply off the seam, beating Conway’s defence and sending his off-stump cartwheeled.
3rd ODI (Indore): The mental disintegration was complete. A tentative prod resulting in a regulation slip catch.
For a batter of Conway's calibre to be dismissed three times in 23 balls by the same bowler is almost unheard of. Harshit Rana hasn't just taken his wicket; he has taken his peace of mind.
