Tips from legends inspire Kolkata Knight Riders' hero Nitish Rana

 By K.R. Nayar

The Indian Premier League has always been a stage for determined cricketers to display their skills imbibed from the legends of the game. Kolkata Knight Riders’ man of the match Nitish Rana and Abdul Samad, a rising 18-year-old from Sunrisers Hyderabad, are two players who have used the stage to earn glory

Nitish Rana in action against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Photo: Courtesy IPL

Kolkata Knight Riders won over Sunrisers Hyderabad by 10 runs on the third day of the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to Kolkata’s opening batsman Nitish Rana’s sparkling 80 runs.

Rana is an example of a cricketer who was inspired by his idols to become a hero himself.  This left-hander grew up wanting to bat like former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly. He even mimicked Ganguly’s batting style. He has also closely watched his Delhi team’s star left-hander and Indian opener Gautam Gambhir.

Rana mimicked Ganguly so much that before the start of the last IPL in the UAE he had remarked in an interview to the Kolkata Knight Riders website that “everyone said I could mimic cricketers’ actions really well. So people started telling me to act 'like dada (Ganguly’s nickname)'. That is how I started playing like him in my early days, copying his style back then, and thus Ganguly’s style got ingrained in my game.”

What boosted Rana was a comment from Gambhir whom he used to watch very closely while growing up. When Gambhir stepped down as Delhi's Ranji Trophy team captain in 2018, and Rana, who was scoring heavily then, went on to become the captain, Gambhir had remarked: “Rana is the right man to lead Delhi.” 

It is said that Rana never hesitated to approach any legend whom he met to discuss and get his opinion on how he could improve his game. It was because of a tip from the legendary Australian skipper Ricky Ponting that he has improved his backlift. “Ricky Pointing had told me that my backlift was a little low. He explained to me that by the time the bowler releases the ball, my backlift should be complete. That way the downswing doesn’t take time. I have worked on that and it has helped me a lot,” revealed Rana.

Nitish Rana with Sachin Tendulkar. Photo: Nitish Rana Instagram  

Rana also approached Sachin Tendulkar and talked with him for long about his game. He says that the tips he gave always rings in his ears. Rana's motto in life is to do everything possible to be successful. That is how he became the leading six-hitter in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2015-2016 with 21 sixes and catch the selector's attention. In his Ranji Trophy debut season for Delhi in 2015, he piled up 557 runs to become the team's highest run getter.
Rana has proven that advice from legends can carry any player a long way. He also follows another piece of advice from Ponting: “You have the ability to hit the ball. Just hit it hard.” Rana hit nine boundaries and four sixes in his 80 runs off 56 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday. Whenever Rana finds the going tough, he remembers Gambhir’s advice: “Stand more upright while batting, opening up the front shoulder.” No wonder Rana stands tall among the Kolkata Knight Riders batsmen.

The pride of  Jammu and Kashmir

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 18-year-old Abdul Samad is a rising allrounder. Hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, he has caught people's attention. In the match against Kolkata Knight Riders, he cracked an unbeaten 19 off just eight balls with two sixes. He has often shown that he is one of the finest hitters of the game.

Abdul Samad takes a brilliant catch near the boundary line to dismiss Kolkata skipper Eoin Morgan. Photo: Courtesy IPL 

The tale of Samad’s rise is interesting. He is the son of a physical education teacher. He was spotted as a 16 year old by former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan who was the coach of the J&K team. In 2019, when he was signed up by Hyderabad for Rs 20 Lakhs, fans in Jammu and Kashmir celebrated. He had displayed his hard-hitting skills in Under-16 cricket and most of his half-centuries came off very few deliveries. Being with Sunrisers Hyderabad, he has been constantly seeking advice from team mentor VVS Laxman and greats like David Warner, Kane Williamson, and Jonny Bairstow.