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.

"The way Harshit has batted in this series, coming in at No. 8, it's not easy," Gill said, acknowledging the crucial contribution of Rana, who finished the series with six wickets and 83 runs. In the first ODI, the knock that he played, and in this one, he's someone who is really improving in his batting. The position that he is batting at, No 8, it's a really important position for us. All the other teams in the world bat really deep. Whenever we play, we play with five batsmen and then we try to play a couple of all-rounders."

Rana was initially a raw bowler, and if he has developed into a pugnacious all-rounder, it is a tribute to the persistence of Gautam Gambhir, who has often been subjected to charges of bias towards the Delhi boy. The head coach has worked closely with the pacer, who initially possessed only raw pace and an instinct to attack. Gambhir first nurtured him at the Kolkata Knight Riders and more recently in the Indian team. Even during Saturday's nets at the Holkar Stadium, Gambhir was seen standing behind the practice area, explaining his approach to Rana - even as the batter was clouting the bowlers all over the park.

Rana knows that a lot is expected of him and he is preparing for the challenges. "My team wants me to bat at No 8 as an all-rounder, and whatever time I can give to it in the nets, I focus on that. I believe I can score 30-40 runs for the team lower down the order whenever needed, and that's what the team management believes I can do as well," Rana had said after the first ODI in Baroda. He lived up to those words a game later here in Indore but bigger challenges await him.

No poetic justice for Kohli in the end

It was a night of agony for India and Kohli, who went down as a hero who was denied poetic justice in the end. His 108-ball 124 - his 54th ODI century and 84th overall - was all class and did not deserve to end on the losing side.

India needed at least one top-order batter to support Kohli who looked in fluent touch from the time he arrived. But he was let down by the specialist batters, who were bogged down by the weight of a steep target and scoreboard pressure.

Rana, Nitish Reddy before him, extended some support but the two partnerships were not enough to overhaul the steep 338-run target set by New Zealand. It was India's first ever loss in Indore.

Kohli, known as the chase master, looked in sublime touch, as he has in recent times, and his boundaries - 10 fours and three sixes - were executed with delightful timing and perfect placement. He tried to control the chase with timely boundaries while also guiding his two young partners, Reddy and Rana, but the inexperience of the pair did not help.