Gautam Gambhir hails 'unbelievable' India debutant Harshal Patel after terrific game vs NZ

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has lavished rich praise on Harshal Patel's performance in Friday's India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I which also was Harshal Patel's national team debut. The pacer picked up the wickets of Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell, and finished with figures of 2 for 25 from his spell of four overs.

Speaking on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir called Harshal Patel as 'unbelievable' and said that his performance was the result of years of domestic cricket and the IPL.

"Harshal Patel was unbelievable. It never looked like he was playing his first game. Very impressed with his effort. That is what 8-10 years of first-class cricket and a fabulous IPL season can do to you. You play your first game for India, you know your game much better.

You are no more a rookie and if you have done that in IPL, which is high-quality cricket when you have had that kind of success, you come here and feel you can continue doing the same thing. That is what Harshal has done tonight. Really happy for him because he has delivered on the big stage today."

Harshal Patel's consistent performances kept him on the radar of the national team and with the pacer putting up a stellar performance in IPL 2021, he won the purple cap with 32 wickets to his name in 15 matches. He was rewarded with a national team call-up for the India vs New Zealand tour. 

The RCB pacer certainly made the best of his opportunity as he ended up with figures of 2/25 in his 4-over spell. He was instrumental in curtailing New Zealand's momentum after they made a blitzkreig start to their innings. Eventually, the Black Caps ended up with a score of 153 after 20 overs after looking set to post a big total earlier in their innings.

Image: PTI