Nitish Rana eyes India comeback after leading West Delhi Lions to DPL triumph

Indian batter Nitish Rana is eyeing a comeback to the national team after leading West Delhi Lions to the Delhi Premier League title at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Sunday. WDL defeated Central Delhi Kings, led by Jonty Sidhu, by six wickets to win the second season of the league.

Rana stepped up as a leader in the last three knockout matches of the tournament as he made the most of his experience. The left-hander returned with scores of 134, 45, and 79 in the final three games to lead his team to glory.

The southpaw said he wants to keep working on his process and not think too far ahead. Rana also dismissed any reports regarding Rajasthan Royals’ captaincy and said he has no clue regarding the rumours.

“There are a lot of things to think of like this. As a player I want to make an India come back too. I will only put pressure on myself that way. I did not think of anything and only looked to do what was in my control. I can bat, field, and bowl and I tried to do that. I did not think of the news outside, and I genuinely don’t know what is going on. It would help me if you told me what is going on,” he said in the post-match press conference.

Rana said this is his first title as a captain, which makes him proud of himself. The 31-year-old also gave his gratitude to god for the blessings.

“What is there to prove? The almighty is there to give everything. Who am I to prove anything to anyone? But yes, as a captain, this is my first trophy. I have captained a lot but had never won a trophy. So I had that within me to do it for myself because I knew that I have that ability. I won’t say my decision-making is better, but I do have that game sense because I have played a lot of cricket. I wanted to prove it to myself that way rather than to anyone else,” he reflected. 

On the other hand, Rana gave credit to the team management for building a strong team in the auction ahead of the season.

“I have never watched an IPL auction till date but I watched the DPL auction. The credit for making the team goes to the management because I was somewhere else for two years and did not know most of the guys. There were many juniors with whom I have not played and had not played a lot for Delhi as well in the last two years. But I felt from the first day that we could win,” he said. 

Rana would look to continue the good show in the domestic season.