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Nitish Rana played a stellar knock for Rajasthan Royals (RR) against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Guwahati in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The left-handed batter put up underwhelming performances for RR in their initial two matches and became a victim of criticism. After losing two games in a row, RR were put to bat first in their third match as CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad emerged victorious at the toss and elected to field first. The Royals lost their opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first over but Rana came with an attacking approach and assaulted bowlers mercilessly.
The southpaw faced 36 deliveries and amassed 81 runs from his bat. His innings was studded with 15 boundaries (10 fours and five maximums). However, what attracted attention during his innings was his unique celebration after completing his fifty. When Rana notched up his 19th half-century in just 19 balls, he made a cradle gesture with his bat. The celebration was dedicated to his wife, who is expecting to deliver twins in upcoming days.
Nitish couldn’t score his maiden IPL hundred
After witnessing Nitish’s rapid fifty, RR fans were expecting him to score his first IPL ton. However, the 31-year-old couldn’t outclass the veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who got him stumped at the hands of MS Dhoni in the 12th over of the match. Riding on his exceptional batting display, the Royals posted 182 runs on the board.
Defending the total, the Royals got the first breakthrough from their premier pacer Jofra Archer, who sent Chennai opener Rachin Ravindra back to the pavilion on a duck. Rahul Tripathi also looked nervous after Ravindra’s departure as the former could accumulate only 23 runs from his bat after facing 23 balls. As of writing, CSK are 137/5 in 16.5 overs, with Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni at the crease.
