Uttar Pradesh’s captain, Nitish Rana, scored a notable century in the current Ranji Trophy 2024 match against Mumbai at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. After choosing to bowl first, UP restricted Mumbai to a total of 198 in the first innings. In reply, Uttar Pradesh achieved an impressive total of 324, largely attributed to Rana’s outstanding innings.
The left-handed batsman took the field at No. 6, employing an aggressive strategy. He reached the 100-run milestone in a mere 105 balls and marked the occasion with a distinctive celebration, cleaning his bat using a hand towel.
You can watch the video here:
Century for @NitishRana_27 đź‘Źđź’Ż
He brings it up off just 105 balls 🔥
What a brilliant counter-attacking knock so far!@IDFCFIRSTBank | #RanjiTrophy
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/Xa0g0GLMhj pic.twitter.com/LJyML5ohkE
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 27, 2024
Some observers speculated that Nitish Rana might have subtly criticized young Yash Dhull through his celebrations. It was reported that Rana was dissatisfied with Dhull taking over as Delhi’s white-ball captain, leading to him concluding his decade-long association with the Delhi team last year.
“The Delhi team’s dressing room negatively impacted my career”- Nitish Rana
Following Day 2 of the current Ranji Trophy match between Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai, Nitish Rana voiced his ambition to showcase his abilities in first-class cricket. He acknowledged the error of focusing solely on shorter formats, stating to Cricbuzz:
“It was my mistake that I wasn’t focusing on red-ball cricket. A lot of people had started talking that I wasn’t a red-ball player, and I would not have had to listen to that talk. Since I switched from Delhi (this year), my target has been to make my name in red-ball cricket again.”
The left-handed batsman also hinted at his dissatisfaction with the environment in the Delhi team’s dressing room. When talking about joining Uttar Pradesh, he mentioned:
“It was in my mind that the dressing room atmosphere of the Delhi team was not good for my career. I felt that a change was necessary for my career. I have always looked at UP as an Elite team, and I know people here. Luckily I have got a team where I am getting respect.”
Nitish Rana has represented India in two T20Is and one ODI. He has showcased commendable performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL), accumulating 2594 runs from 105 matches.
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