“It’s very easy to say from outside" - Nitish Rana defends himself after criticism over dismissal

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Nitish Rana has defended himself amid criticism of his dismissal in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Eden Gardens on Thursday, April 6.

The left-handed batter was out for one off five balls. He looked to reverse-sweep Michael Bracewell but only managed to glove the ball to the keeper. Many critics questioned the KKR skipper’s stroke, considering that the team had lost two early wickets and were in desperate need of a partnership.

Speaking after the game, though, Rana staunchly defended himself, stating that he batted in his natural manner, but could not pull off the stroke. He even took a dig at critics and said that people sitting outside can pass comments rather easily. Asked about his mode of dismissal in the post-match conference, Rana defiantly replied:

“It wasn’t unfortunate. That’s the way I bat. It’s very easy to say from outside. If I am sitting outside and watching someone else’s match, anyone can say after a mistake that you have made a mistake. It was my shot and I have always played my cricket this way.

“If we were chasing, I would have admitted my stroke was the wrong one. I wanted to be aggressive against Michael Bracewell and take on the off-spinner in the first over itself, so that he doesn’t come into play. That was the plan.”

Rana’s wicket left Kolkata in trouble at 47/3 at the start of the seventh over. Shardul Thakur (68 off 29), Rinku Singh (46 off 33), and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (57 off 44), however, combined to lift KKR as they ended up posting 204/7.

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“What kind of shot was that from KKR captain?” - Sunil Gavaskar on Nitish Rana

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was on air during Rana’s dismissal in the IPL match on Thursday. The legendary batter was clearly not impressed with Rana’s stroke selection and the timing of it.

Sharing his thoughts on the dismissal, he commented:

“What kind of shot was that from KKR captain? He didn't connect at all. And as a captain, I think that shot was completely avoidable.”

Rana, who is leading KKR in Shreyas Iyer’s absence, was dismissed for 24 off 17 in the franchise’s opening encounter against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mohali.

Kolkata's next match will be against the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, April 9.