Rana proves his worth again
MUMBAI: In his 10 innings this IPL, Nitish Rana has batted once at No 3, five times at No 4, thrice at No 5 and once at No 6 for KKR. The left-hander hasn’t played in the same batting position for more than two matches on the bounce.
Even by T20 standards, where lines between well-defined roles in the playing 11 and fluidity often get blurred, that’s quite a range and frequency of being shuffled around. Despite that, Rana has accumulated 248 runs—the second most in the team after captain Shreyas Iyer’s 324—at a strike rate of 140-plus, including a couple of half-centuries and a chase-acing unbeaten 48 against RR on Monday. Not exactly numbers vying for that coveted coloured cap, but the 28-year-old from Delhi has been one of the few clicking buttons— and a rare steady presence—in a largely unsettled KKR line-up.
“Different matches, different roles.
Koshish karta hu ki nibhata chalu (I try and do justice to them),” Rana said.
Rana walked in at one-drop in the season opener, scoring a 17-ball 21 in a low chase against Chennai Super Kings. After three quiet innings, two of them while being pushed down to No. 5, the southpaw notched up 30 off 20 balls with three sixes at No. 4 before being dismissed in the 12th over as KKR fell short of Delhi Capitals’ 215/5.
The next game, Rana dropped a spot again. This time, he cracked a 36-ball 54 at 31/3 in the fifth over and batted till the 18th in KKR’s 175/8, a total Sunrisers Hyderabad overhauled with ease. Two innings later, Rana strolled out at No. 6, with the scoreboard reading 35/4 in the eighth over and scored another quality fifty striking at 168. His knock took KKR to a fighting 146/9, which Delhi Capitals chased with six balls to spare.
That was KKR’s fifth straight defeat before they stopped the rut against RR, with Rana’s vital contribution of a 37-ball 48 not out finally resulting in a team victory. “I don’t think I’ve batted too many times at No. 4 this season. Whatever role I’m given by the team and as per the situation of the match, I’m trying to bat accordingly,” Rana said.
“In the last game, I batted at 6. The situation wasn’t one where I could play my shots; I had to build my innings to take the team to a decent total. Even today (Monday), I felt like I had to play the anchor role. I knew that if I hold one end up, it will be easier to chase it down.”
Back up at No. 4 with Iyer around but both openers inside the shed in the powerplay, Rana realised the need to allow the storm to pass in pursuit of a below-par 153. He did so till the halfway stage as RR’s spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin operated in tandem, rotating the strike without trying anything fancy. The left-hander picked his bowler for that, collecting 15 runs off five Ashwin deliveries in the 11th over by sweeping and reverse-sweeping the off-spinner to swing the momentum. And once he had Rinku Singh don the enforcer’s hat after Iyer’s dismissal, Rana toned down his aggression again in clever partnership play.
Surely, though, adapting to these roles at different slots could get challenging? “That’s what a professional cricketer does, isn’t it?” Rana said. “I’ve developed myself over the years— growing as a human and also my game every season. All those things have helped me on a day like this. It’s been successful so far, and hopefully it carries on.”
Having made his IPL debut in 2016 playing four matches, Rana left a mark in the next season for Mumbai Indians with 333 runs in 13 outings. Roped in by KKR in 2018, the Delhi batter has been a central figure in their middle-order, scoring 300-plus runs in each of the four seasons since, and is well on his way to crossing that this year too. “It’s been seven years in the IPL. So I’m trying to play the anchor role, one of being the main player for my team,” he said.
That sense of responsibility was evident in the unbroken 66-run partnership with Singh, who featured in only his third game this season against RR. Rana was constantly in the ear of Singh, often between balls, as the duo went about gunning down the target.
“I’ve known him (Singh) for 5-6 years. He’s worked extremely hard, and the way he was batting from the first day here, I knew he would do something big this year for the team and himself if he gets a chance,” Rana said. “When he came in, I was only trying to calm him down. I know he is a bit hyper; he even fields that way. Khoon uska thoda garam hai (he is hot-blooded). But I was calming him down, saying if we both stay at the crease we will finish the game. That’s exactly what happened.”