Nitish Rana’s Ranji Trophy Ton Ends Century Drought Against Mumbai and Aims for Greater Heights: Ranji Trophy Special
When Nitish Rana reached his century in the Ranji Trophy against Mumbai amidst cheers from teammates, a mix of familiar and unfamiliar emotions washed over him.
This marked his seventh first-class hundred in 47 games, but more significantly, it ended a drought spanning over four years since his last century.
Numerous events unfolded between his sixth and seventh hundreds, with Covid-19 playing a pivotal role. The pandemic disrupted India’s cricket calendar, resulting in no first-class domestic cricket throughout 2021. Amidst these challenges, Rana’s focus on red-ball cricket waned.
Speaking at the Wankhede Stadium, Rana explained:
“During the Covid years, when the IPL was held in two phases, I had stopped focusing on red-ball cricket a little bit. So that set me back somewhat. This year I have worked very hard with the red ball because I wanted to prove, not to anyone else but myself, that I can be a good red ball player.”
Rana’s ability to deliver impactful performances in red-ball cricket is firmly established. An illustration of this is his previous century – an unbeaten 68-ball 105 during a triumphant fourth-innings pursuit of 347 against Vidarbha.
Notably, Vidarbha had clinched consecutive Ranji Trophy titles in the two preceding seasons. In a similar vein, Rana’s innings on Saturday echoed the challenges he overcame, showcasing his resilience and skill.
Walking in at 136 for 4, Rana faced the challenge of resurrecting Uttar Pradesh’s innings in response to Mumbai’s 198. His characteristic response included back-to-back sixes off Shams Mulani’s left-arm spin.
“Playing strokes is in my blood,” Rana said. “I try to play according to the situation. Today, the wicket was so good that I wanted to keep my shape and play my game. I have played for three years on this wicket for Mumbai Indians. There is value for money on this wicket, and I always wish that I could get at least one match on this pitch every year.”
Rana’s innings, comprising 12 fours and five sixes in a 120-ball 106, contributed to UP’s 126-run first-innings lead.
The century held personal significance for Rana, reinforcing his belief as a red-ball player and validating his decision to captain UP for the 2023-24 season after moving from Delhi.
“It was my mistake that I wasn’t focusing on red-ball cricket. A lot of people had started saying that I wasn’t a red-ball player, and I would not have had to listen to that talk [if I had given the format more attention]. From the time I switched from Delhi, my target has been to make my name in red-ball cricket again.”
Despite the move from Delhi after over a decade, Rana feels at home in the UP dressing room, emphasizing the familiarity with teammates.
“I know 14 of them in the 15-member squad. I have played with Ankit [Rajpoot] from Under-16 days, with Rinku [Singh] for six years [at Kolkata Knight Riders], and Akshdeep [Nath] for eight years. I never felt like I came to a new team.”
Having ended his century drought, Rana is determined for more significant achievements:
“I won’t call it a big knock; a big knock is 300. But I remember in 2020 or 21, I [made] my last hundred. I had lost the habit of scoring hundreds. I now know how to [make] hundreds. A big one is around the corner this season.”
While Rana eyes a recall to the Indian team, he remains focused on the hard work needed, acknowledging that frustrations and speculations about selection have occasionally affected his game since 2018.
