Kolkata Knight Riders chief coach Jacques Kallis on Monday said they always backed young Nitish Rana fully and in the ongoing edition of IPL it is paying off. Rana has been the backbone of KKR batting and his part-time off-spin has come handy in giving breakthroughs.
“We had given him a message that he will be a settled member in the side and he just needs to showcase his talent. We are backing him 100 per cent and certainly it has paid off,” Kallis said.
Rana has got two Man of the Match awards this season. However, It was during their first leg match against Mumbai Indians in Mumbai last year when KKR spotted Rana. Batting at no 3, Rana smashed a 29-ball 50 to help MI secure a four-wicket win and was adjudged Man of The Match.
“He played well against us in that match last year. We had heard some good things about him but perhaps didn’t get as many games for MI as he would have liked. He certainly has got a bright future with KKR,” Kallis said.
Having lost to Kings XI Punjab by DLS method on April 21, KKR have slipped to third place. They next take on Delhi Daredevils in the return leg fixture on April 27.
