Nitish Rana might not be too far from an India call-up: Aakash Chopra

Former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra praised Nitish Rana for his outstanding batting display against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The veteran went on to say that the southpaw might get an India call-up if he continues performing in this manner. Opening the match for KKR, Nitish Rana scored a 56-ball 80 at a strike rate of 142.86, including 9 fours and 4 sixes. 

Aakash Chopra also stated that when one plays on a pitch like this, it is very crucial to capitalize on the new ball. He further added that Rana was running ahead of his opening partner Shubman Gill and did not stumble in taking risks. Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill added 53 runs for the first wicket off seven overs, with the right-hander's contribution being 15. Furthermore, the cricketer-turned-commentator also reckoned that the 27-year-old had smashed a boundary of the very first ball of the match. Post that, Rana was continuously hitting boundaries and sixes against both spin and fast bowling. 

Kolkata Knight Riders added the first two points in their tally

It was Rana's third score of 80 or more in his last 5 IPL innings. The youngster was promoted to open the batting for KKR towards the end of last season. He was also clearly been instructed to take on the bowlers from the first over itself, giving Shubman Gill the time to settle in. Nitish Rana, in fact, has had a decent past few seasons. The 27-year-old has scored over 300 runs in the last four seasons. Despite that, the southpaw needs to level up further and become more consistent if he has to make it into the Indian squad. 

Talking about the match, KKR posted a challenging total of 187/6 from their 20 overs. The team could put up a massive total because of stellar fifties from opener Nitish Rana (80) and number three batsman Rahul Tripathi (53). In response, SRH was reduced to 10/2 in the third over. The Hyderabad-based franchise lost the crucial wickets of captain David Warner and wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha. However, Jonny Bairstow (55) and Manish Pandey resurrected their innings with a 92-run partnership for the third wicket before Bairstow was dismissed. Pandey continued to play till the end, but unfortunately, he did not receive much support from other batters. In the end, Pandey remained unbeaten on 61 as the side was restricted to 177/5 from their 20 overs. Kolkata Knight Riders ended up adding the first two points in their tally.

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