The epithet 'great' is not easily used in cricketing discourse, particularly in the contemporary context and by contemporary players for their contemporary peers. But Shubman Gill did not hold back in waxing eloquent about Harshit Rana, the uncontainably attacking pacer who is rapidly emerging as a fast-bowling all-rounder - a much-needed dual skill player that the Indian team badly requires, more so because of his height.

The India captain called him a 'great' prospect after an unprecedented and abominable home series loss to New Zealand. "Coming to Harshit, you don't get that many bowlers who bowl at 140 (kph) consistently with the height that he's got. The way he is batting, if he keeps on improving, he could be really good," the India skipper said of the 24-year-old upstart, who excelled with his all-round showing in the just-concluded series that India lost 1-2 to New Zealand.

It was a gut-wrenching defeat for Gill's India, this being their first reversal against the Kiwis in 37 years and across eight visits, but Rana's growth is a silver lining for a nation looking for multi-skilled players who can be nippy with the ball as well as marauding with the bat. With Hardik Pandya plagued by frequent injury concerns, Rana's progress adds a new dimension to Indian cricket setup. The all-rounder demonstrated that he can fill Pandya's shoes, even if not with the consistency of the veteran. A dream scenario would be both Pandya and Rana being in the squad for next year's World Cup in South Africa.

In the limited internationals he has played (22 overall and 14 ODIs), Rana has exhibited rare skills of fiery bowling and high-risk yet effective power-hitting. Consistently, he bowled at around 140 kph and extracted a steep bounce. He has also been largely accurate, barring Sunday's match, when he was smashed for 84 runs by the New Zealanders. His unfettered batting, however, was a surprise revelation on a night when he came close to taking India to an improbable win with his no-holds-barred batting approach.

He launched a calculated assault on the New Zealand bowlers, and a target of 160 runs in about 18 overs came down to 61 runs in 40 deliveries, with Rana scoring his maiden half-century (52 off 43 balls). He dominated a 99-run seventh-wicket partnership with a classy Virat Kohli, who was doing Virat Kohli things at the other end. Rana's eight boundaries - four fours and as many sixes - were eye-catching for their fearlessness in execution and perfect calculation.

There is an element of rusticity to his batting, with many shots looking agricultural, but there is also a method in his aggression - he steps out and deposits the ball in the vacant areas, unfazed by the pace of the delivery or the reputation of the bowler. Even Kyle Jamieson, arguably the best fast bowler from either side, was not spared by the go-for-broke style.