Rajasthan Royals' Nitish Rana credited a timely conversation with head coach Rahul Dravid for helping him overcome illness and deliver a match-winning knock against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.
Struggling with poor form and fitness, Rana had even missed practice the day before the match, but Dravid’s belief in him reignited his confidence.
The victory was a much-needed boost for RR, who were under pressure after back-to-back defeats against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders.
"Those two points were extremely important. We probably should've got that at the start of the tournament but it's okay; there were lots of learnings to take as well from the first two matches, and we could implement those things in this game and take the two points," Rana said in a video posted on RR's X handle.
Rana revealed that he had missed practice the day before the match due to illness, but a timely call from Dravid helped him get mentally prepared.
"Rahul sir had called me yesterday after I missed practice because I wasn't feeling too well. He called to tell me that I will be batting at No.3, and I am always ready for these kinds of challenges. I enjoy it when someone banks on me, and I like taking that responsibility," he said.
“So when he said that to me, I analyzed myself—the kind of shots I can play on this wicket that will help me and my team. That is what I banked on, and when the time comes, the runs come,” Rana added.
In RR’s first two matches, Rana had batted at No.4, managing only 11 runs off eight balls against SRH and eight runs off nine balls against KKR. However, against CSK, he was promoted above stand-in skipper Riyan Parag and capitalised on the opportunity, smashing 81 runs off just 36 balls. His explosive innings included 10 fours and five sixes, turning the game in RR’s favour.
“I was trying to do the same in the first two matches as well, but the reality is that when you come with your own game plan and give yourself an edge by analyzing the game a day before, that helps a lot. It has helped me throughout the year in all kinds of cricket that I have played, and I was concentrating on that same process. Finally, it bore fruit,” Rana concluded.
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