Nitish Rana is a common name in the IPL circuit, a class batsman, earlier for Mumbai Indians and now for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He has been with the riders for more than three seasons now and has established himself as the mainstay in the team’s batting order. His flexibility and versatility make him an asset to any side, but he flourishes and excels when he bathes up the order and has time to settle down. He recently got selected in the Indian squad for the white ball series against Sri Lanka.
It has been a challenging ride for Nitish Rana till now, and it is fair to say that he has deserved this call-up more than anyone else. He has shown his class and pedigree in the domestic circuit and has become a household name. In 2015, when he received his first IPL call-up and was picked up for a whopping 3.8 crores, he knew that he wouldn’t be allowed to play in age-specific tournaments from then on because of some age issue he faced earlier in his playing days. He had a torrid start to the IPL 2020 season as he recorded five ducks in the tournament, which is a tremendous blow for a player of his calibre. On top of that, the Covid 19 pandemic in India made his situation a lot worse as his wife, mother-in-law, and mother all tested positive for the fatal virus. A few days before all this took place, his father-in-law, a cancer patient, passed away. Things on the personal and professional stuff weren’t going well for him, and his wife Sakshi Marwah said that she hasn’t met for so long, but she knows that he is in a good mental state and will be there for his family as well as his team when required. He proved his capabilities as a player in the following games as he scored match-winning knocks for his side and dedicated his innings to his late father-in-law. It has been onwards and upwards for Rana since then, as he picked crucial wickets for his team in UAE. He continued his form in the next IPL and was a vital player in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy.
All this proves how he is as a person, player, and family man. He has shown calmness in challenging situations and knows how to deal with immense pressure. He will be a crucial player in the current Indian side for Sri Lanka in the absence of the team’s mainstay players. This is his chance to tell the world that he is made for the more significant leagues and is destined to strive on the International stage.
