Kolkata Knight Riders will witness another change in captaincy as their first-choice skipper, Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out for the first half of the IPL after copping a serious injury while playing for India. Nitish Rana has been handed over the crucial role of leading KKR in Shreyas’ absence and this is going to be a new experience for Rana, particularly in the colours of KKR.
In his first media interaction as the captain, Nitish Rana said, “For me this is not new. I have been playing a leadership role in this franchise for a few years. It’s just that the tag is of a captain this time. And if I take extra pressure over a tag, then my game can potentially get ruined. There is no real fear. Yes, when you do something new for the first time, there is some added pressure. But I have played almost 100 games, and one thing I know is that I thrive under pressure and I am embracing this new role.”
Here is what Nitish Rana had to say about reading match-situations
He further added, “At the end of the day, it is cricket. Situations will be different and match conditions are different too. Man-management is important here. This is a big competition so there are players who are seniors here. Russell has played almost 450 matches, Narine, too, is in that range, so we have a very experienced group. With that much experience, there is nothing for me to fear. [There is] Chandrakant sir too, so there are lot of people at my disposal to turn to for assistance.”
Talking about his captaincy style, Rana said, “I don’t follow anyone’s captaincy style, I just want to captain in my manner. I know that if I follow someone, then I will lose my touch. So I want to lead this side the only way I know… just wait for a few more days to learn about my captaincy, then you will have some talking points about my style.”
Chandrakant Pandit dropped an important update about Shreyas Iyer
There were also updates about the return of KKR’s captain, Shreyas Iyer, as Chandrakant Pandit, KKR’s new coach said, “Whatever little cricket I have played or coached, I have never gone back over things like squad unavailability. Shreyas’ absence will make a difference since he is important, but this is truly unfortunate. We are hoping Shreyas will be back very soon and that will make a lot of difference to the team.”
He further said, “When we select players and give responsibility to players, we see who is capable. And Nitish is capable. He has been with KKR for a long time and also has a strong domestic record. Like they say, ‘all boxes to be ticked’ and it has come down to that.” He concluded by saying, “”I am comfortable knowing he can handle the role. We don’t see whether someone is deserving or not. Every player has different skills, and after thinking about what Nitish brings to the table, we are confident with the decision. This decision is not just my decision but of the whole support staff, including our management.”
