“I don’t want to follow anyone” - Nitish Rana keen to carve his own niche as KKR leader

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) stand-in captain Nitish Rana has stated that he doesn’t want to follow any particular cricketer’s leadership style and is keen to carve his own niche as skipper.

Rana was named as KKR skipper on Monday, March 27, after it became clear that regular captain Shreyas Iyer would be unavailable for at least the initial part of IPL 2023. According to some unconfirmed reports, Shreyas could miss the entire season due to a recurring back issue.

In Shreyas’ absence, 29-year-old Rana has been handed the responsibility of leading the team. At a press conference on Tuesday, March 28, the left-handed batter opened up about his leadership philosophy. Asked who his captaincy idol is, Rana responded:

“I don’t want to follow anyone. I want to lead in my own way. If I try to follow someone, somewhere I would lose myself. I want to take the team forward in my manner.”

Speaking about the captains he has played under, the southpaw added:

“I have played under a lot of captains. I have played under Gautam (Gambhir), Eoin Morgan, DK and Shreyas as well. I have not played under Dada (Sourav Ganguly), but everyone knows the heights he has taken Indian cricket to. There is a lot to learn, but I have my own style. Just wait a bit, you will come to know.”

Rana admitted that Shreyas’ absence is a massive one, but asserted that overall the team is in a positive frame of mind. He stated:

“Responsibility is obviously there and I like taking responsibility. The Shreyas (injury) situation is very unfortunate. He is a senior and main player of our team. We came to know about it at the end moment. Overall, though, if we keep that aside, the team is looking good.”

Rana is at number five among the leading run-getters for KKR. In 74 matches for the franchise, he has scored 1744 at a strike rate of 135.61, with 11 half-centuries.

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“Have been playing this role for last 2-3 years” - Nitish Rana on leading KKR

Elaborating on his views on captaining Kolkata, Rana said that he won’t be taking any additional pressure as playing a leadership role is not something new to him. He explained:

“I have been playing this role for last 2-3 years. The only difference is that this time I have the captaincy tag. If I take extra pressure just because of the tag, that’s not good for my game.”

The 29-year-old Delhi cricketer has some experience of leading in domestic cricket. Asked how captaining in the IPL will be different, he opined that better management skills are needed in the T20 league. Rana elaborated:

“There is more management in the IPL. Wickets and conditions in domestic cricket are tougher. The level over here is very high. Look at our senior players - Andre Russell has played 400-450 T20 matches. Same with Sunny (Sunil Narine). Having such kind of experience is a helping hand.”

KKR will begin their IPL 2023 campaign by taking on Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mohali on Saturday, April 1.