Nitish Rana reveals how Rohit Sharma calmed him down in the middle of a forgettable IPL season 2023. Rohit Sharma is equally helpful when it comes to guiding the not-so-young guys. Take Nitish Rana, for example. Incidentally, it was at Mumbai Indians under Rohit’s captaincy that Nitish Rana started his IPL career in 2013. Even though Rana made it big in the IPL only when he joined the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018, Rohit’s impact on his career would be everlasting.
So much so that last year, when Nitish Rana, as captain of KKR, was struggling during IPL 2023, one simple piece of advice from Rohit changed his thought process. Coming in as a replacement for the injured Shreyas Iyer, KKR endured a forgettable run, losing eight matches out of 14 to finish 7th on the points table. Even though Rohit was going through his own struggles at MI, he ensured to take the load off Nitish Rana a bit.
Nitish Rana’s IPL career
Despite his team’s struggle, Nitish Rana’s own form was up to the mark as he ended the season with 413 runs – his best IPL tally – at an average of 31.77, including three half-centuries. Usually a heavy scorer, Nitish Rana has consistently delivered 300-run seasons every year since 2017. Surprisingly enough, Rana did not get as many chances as he would have liked. He played just two matches and scored 42 runs. But Rana wouldn’t mind as KKR went on to win the IPL, lifting the trophy for a third time in history.
Take Nitish Rana, for example. Incidentally, it was at Mumbai Indians under Rohit’s captaincy that Rana started his IPL career in 2013. Even though Rana made it big in the IPL only when he joined the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018, Rohit’s impact on his career would be everlasting.
So much so that last year, when Rana, as captain of KKR, was struggling during IPL 2023, one simple piece of advice from Rohit changed his thought process. Coming in as a replacement for the injured Shreyas Iyer, KKR endured a forgettable run, losing eight matches out of 14 to finish 7th on the points table. Even though Rohit was going through his own struggles at MI, he ensured to take the load off Rana a bit.
Nitish Rana recalls Rohit Sharma’s inputs on captaincy during IPL 2023
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Nitish Rana recalled receiving valuable inputs on captaincy from Team India and the then-Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma during IPL 2023. Rana captained KKR in the 2023 IPL season due to regular skipper Shreyas Iyer missing out due to injury.
While KKR showed their brilliance in spurts, they eventually finished seventh with six wins in 14 games. The franchise started the season by winning two of their first four outings and were slated to play MI in their fifth match.
Speaking on the TRS podcast, Rana recalled his conversation with Rohit ahead of that contest.
“Last year, when I was captaining, I went up to Rohit bhaiya. We won two matches then lost two matches. He said, ‘Nitish, what do you think? What is captaincy?’ I was about to say something. Actually. I wanted to speak my heart out but Rohit bhaiya didn’t let me,” said Rana.
“He said captaincy is nothing. Just changing bowlers, moving fielders from one position to another… it’s not captaincy. He made me understand as long as the result is in your favor, you’re sorted.”
He added:
“The day things don’t go well, no matter how good you captain, no one will talk about you. So, you concentrate on your process and back yourself. The more you try to complicate, it’ll be that tough and the more you keep it simple, the easier it’ll be. He said all that to calm me down and ease me up.”
Despite KKR’s failing to qualify for the playoffs, Rana enjoyed an impressive IPL 2023 season with the bat. The southpaw scored 413 runs at an average of 31.77 and a strike rate of almost 141 in 14 games.
Meanwhile, IPL 2023 was Rohit’s last stint as MI captain as he was replaced by Hardik Pandya for the recently concluded 2024 season.
Nitish Rana was part of the KKR squad that triumphed for a third time in the IPL 2024 season. However, the 30-year-old did not play as big a role due to missing several games with a finger injury. After featuring in their tournament opener, Rana was part of the playing XI in only one other game much later against MI. He scored 42 runs at an average of 21 and a strike rate of 123.53.
Yet, KKR did not miss the talented left-hander much as they rolled through the season and finished atop the points table with 20 points in 14 outings. The side then demolished SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 1 and the grand finale to win their first title since 2014.