New Delhi [India], April 15 (ANI): Ahead of his side’s Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against Delhi Capitals (DC), Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter Nitish Rana said that he would like to bowl if the team demands it; in fact, he would like to bowl regularly.
After their four-match win streak broke with a loss to five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI), the second-placed DC will be hosting an eighth-placed Rajasthan, who has secured just two wins in six matches, at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday.
Speaking about bowling more regularly, Nitish, who can deliver useful overs of pace/spin alike and has taken 10 wickets in his IPL career, said, “If the team demands anything from you, I will never back down. Obviously, but I am not that kind of a person. If the understanding of the game says that I should go and tell Sanju (Samson) or anyone that I can do something good here or I can bowl here, I will definitely say it but there is no need to think too much in the game, I guess. And I always try to catch whatever is thrown at me and benefit my team from it, whether it is bowling, batting, fielding or whatever.”
“I think I should bowl. I also want to bowl regularly because I have already bowled and I am a good bowler. So I want to bowl, but if the situation comes, why not? I will talk to Sanju and see what happens,” he added.
Speaking about his team’s recent performances, which have been a mixed bag, Rana said that the pressure is in every game of the “world’s number one league” and there have been positives in team’s performances, which should be focused on and negatives from which team can learn.
“I think pressure is in every game and it is our job to handle that pressure. That is why we are professional cricketers. And as far as Rajasthan’s form is concerned, obviously, we are very low on the points table. But there are a lot of positives in the matches that we have lost and won. There are a lot of positives. The sooner we forget those things and the sooner we learn from them and move forward, I think that is more important for us at this time,” he added.
Rana also said that as far as his batting position is concerned, he is okay with playing wherever his team demands.
“Sometimes, the left-right combination is very important in T20s. And there, I did not get that much batting in two matches. And I try to fulfill the demand of the team that the team wants from me. I batted low in the first two matches, I was asked in the third match that I will bat at number three. So I said yes. And there, I made 80-something runs. I think I have to fulfill the demand of the team as a player. And I am absolutely okay with whatever the team demands,” he added.
So far, in six innings, Rana has made 117 runs at an average of 23.40, with one half-century to his name and the best score of 81.
On his mindset as a batter, he further said, “60, 70, 80, 90, 100 is just a milestone for me as a player, as a batsman. As a team, where do you stand? As a team, how do you perform on that individual day? How do you take those two points home? I guess that is the most important thing. And in our group, it has been said that the same person will not perform on different days.”
“And in 11 team games, it is said that one day someone will raise their hand and the other day someone else will raise their hand. At the end of the day, the day we play the match, if those two points are in our favour, whether someone has made it 50, or 0, or 100, I think it is all the same. The important thing is to win,” he added. (ANI)
