The 30-year-old left-handed batsman Nitish Rana has revealed that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) head coach Rahul Dravid has promised him of his India National Cricket Team comeback.
Nitish Rana said that the former India head coach, Rahul Dravid, had told him that he would do everything possible to help him get back into the scheme of things of the Indian team.
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Nitish Rana bought by Rajasthan Royals at the IPL 2025 mega auction
Nitish Rana, who was a Knight Rider in the Indian Premier League since 2018, was bought by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for ₹4.20 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
It came as a major shock to everyone because the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) didn’t use the Right To Match option to retain their former captain. He was reportedly one of the contenders for captaincy of KKR after the franchise parted ways with Shreyas Iyer.
However, Knight Riders did not show interest in buying back Nitish Rana, and it left his wife Saachi Marwah quite furious, who took to social media to post a cryptic message that said, “Loyalty is very expensive, not everyone can afford it”.
I just told him, I want to make a comeback to the Indian team – Rahul Dravid
In a video shared by Rajasthan Royals (RR) on their official social media channels, Nitish Rana spoke about his interactions with head coach Rahul Dravid. He said:
“Sometimes, we create stories in our minds, thinking that if I ask this question, will I be judged? But, in all my time working with him, the common fear many players have—that if they speak to someone, they’ll be judged—was never a concern for me from the very first day.”
Rana revealed that he directly told Dravid that he is aiming for India comeback through his stint with Rajasthan Royals (RR). He further said that Dravid offered him full support and assured him that he would do everything possible for the franchise and his career. He stated:
“I just told him that I played under him in my first series and I want to make a comeback to the Indian team. I will need your help because your guidance matters a lot to me. He accepted and said, ‘We will do the hard work. ‘Franchise or tere career ke liye jo possible cheez hogi wo karenge’. (“We will do everything possible for the franchise and your career.”)
Fire in his belly and the hunger to go big under Rahul Dravid’s mentorship – This is Nitish Rana, Rajasthan Royals ✨💗
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— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) December 13, 2024
Nitish Rana’s IPL numbers
Rana has played for the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He started his journey with the Mumbai Indians (MI) before switching bases to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Overall, he has played 107 matches in the league. In those matches, he has scored 2636 runs at an average of 28.65 and a strike rate of 135.04 to go with 18 half-centuries.
Talking about his journey with India National Cricket Team, he has played two T20Is, scoring 15 runs, and one ODI, scoring 7 runs.