Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday (March 27) named Nitish Rana as their captain for the IPL 2023 season in the absence of regular skipper Shreyas Iyer, who is set to miss some part of the tournament due to his recurring back injury.
KKR have experienced players such as Andre Russell and Sunil Narine in their ranks, but they handed the responsibility to Nitish, who is not daunted by the prospect of leading an IPL team.
The 29-year-old has previously led his domestic cricket team Delhi in 12 T20 matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, returning with eight wins and four losses.
"It (leadership) is not new for me, for the last 2-3 years I have been part of the leadership group. I have got the captaincy tag this time. For the last 2-3 years, I have been part of the leadership role and I am not going to take extra pressure just because of the tag. It's not good for my game also. I don't think there is anything new. I love taking responsibility," Rana said while speaking to the press on Tuesday (March 28).
"After 10 days also, there will be pressure. Captaincy is a tag. Whenever you do something for the first time in life, there will be a bit of pressure. As a batter, I have played more than 100 games. A player will be scared of getting out in the first few deliveries," he added.
Nitish Rana said the conditions in domestic cricket are tougher than IPL, adding that he doesn't have the luxury of relying on experienced players like Russell in domestic cricket.
"At the end of the day, cricket is just a game. Situations may differ, the conditions might be very different but whether it's domestic cricket or IPL... man management becomes more important in the IPL because players from different countries have to form a unit," Rana stated.
"I think the pitches and the conditions in domestic cricket are a little more difficult than the ones that you get in the IPL. You also get players depending on those conditions and players with experience. For instance, Andre Russell has played over 400 matches. When you have so much experience in the camp, I don't have to be scared of anything. The senior players, Chandu sir, and all the support staff will be a helping hand. With all this help, I am sure we will do something big," he further remarked.
When asked if he has any role model for captaincy, Nitish Rana said he would want to do things in his own way.
"There is responsibility and I like taking responsibility. Shreyas Iyer had an unfortunate injury, we all know that. It's very unfortunate, and we got the news of not having such a senior and main player at the last moment. But if you keep it aside, the team looks good. And I think the direction that we are taking with this team, I think it will bring the right results.
"I don't prefer following anyone (idol) like that. I want to do it in my style because if I try and follow someone in terms of captaincy, I will lose myself, my individuality. I want to captain in my way and take the team ahead in my own style," he said.
While the 2023 edition of IPL is slated to get underway on March 31, Knight Riders are slated to open their campaign on April 1 against Punjab Kings in Mohali.
