Key Points
Harshit learned consistency from Bumrah's expert guidance
Morkel refined his bowling line and length
Impressive debut with 3/31 against Bangladesh
Confident ahead of Pakistan match
With stakes running high in the Champions Trophy, India management decided to put its faith in Harshit ahead of left-armer Arshdeep Singh, who holds a fair share of experience in delivering at ICC events.
Harshit lined up alongside seasoned Mohammed Shami, with Hardik Pandya acting as the third seamer against Bangladesh in Dubai.
With the new ball in his hand, Harshit and Shami bowled in tandem and orchestrated Bangladesh's downfall in the powerplay. He burst into the scene by removing Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto for a two-ball duck. He made his impact felt towards the end and returned with economical match figures of 3/31 in his 7.4-over spell.
Harshit, who has worked alongside Bumrah during India's Test tour of Australia, revealed that the pace spearhead taught him to maintain "consistency" and adapt to different formats.
"Working with Jassi bhai (Jasprit Bumrah) benefits a lot because he has a lot of experience. He tells how to bowl in which format. I picked consistency from him," he told reporters after the match.
Harshit gave due credit to bowling coach Morkel for teaching him a fair amount of things and working on his line and length.
"I have learned a lot of things from him. He (Morkel) has worked a lot on my line and length," Harshit said about Morkel.
After cruising to a six-wicket win against Bangladesh, India will shift its focus to a blockbuster clash against arch-rival Pakistan on Sunday at the same venue.
With pressure soaring high and the hype around the highly anticipated clash reaching new levels with each passing day, Harshit assured that the Men in Blue would treat it as a normal game.
"When you play for India, there is always pressure. We will take it as a normal game," he said.
