Nitish Rana from the Rajasthan Royals shared that a chat with head coach Rahul Dravid was key in helping him overcome his health issues and deliver a match-winning performance against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during the 2025 IPL season. This victory was much needed for a team that faced heavy criticism after being defeated by last year's finalists, Sunrisers Hyderabad, in their opening match, followed by a loss to the reigning champions, Kolkata Knight Riders.

"Those two points were really crucial. We should have secured them earlier in the tournament, but that's alright; we learned a lot from our first two games, and we were able to apply those lessons here to grab the win," Rana mentioned in a video shared on RR's Twitter account.

Rana admitted he had to skip practice the day before the match due to feeling unwell. However, he managed to mentally prepare himself for the game after Dravid informed him about his batting position. "Rahul sir reached out to me yesterday since I missed practice because I wasn't feeling great. He let me know I'd be batting at No. 3, and I'm always up for these kinds of challenges. I thrive when someone relies on me, and I enjoy taking on that responsibility."

When he mentioned that to me, I took a moment to reflect on the types of shots I could play on this pitch that would benefit both me and my team. That’s what I relied on, and when the opportunity arose, the runs followed, Rana explained. He had batted at No. 4 in the first two games for RR, scoring 11 runs off eight balls against SRH and just eight runs off nine balls against KKR. However, he moved up a spot to bat ahead of stand-in captain Riyan Parag against CSK and really made an impact, scoring 81 runs off just 36 balls, including five sixes and ten fours.

“I was aiming to do the same in the first two games, but the truth is that having a game plan and analyzing things a day in advance gives you an advantage. This approach has worked for me throughout the year in all formats of cricket I've played, and I focused on that same strategy. In the end, it paid off,” Rana added.

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