If there is one young Indian talent who has made this Indian Premier League his own it has to be none other than Mumbai Indians top order batsman Nitish Rana. He has come from nowhere to take this season by storm and has been one of the biggest reasons behind the success of Mumbai Indians this time around. His knocks have found him an admirer as well in legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting.
Ponting in a recent interview said, “He`s got a very good domestic record in one-day and four-day cricket. I wouldn`t be surprised to see him in an Indian T20 squad, because that`s generally what they like to do, like with Hardik Pandya; he had a few outstanding performances in the IPL (and was picked).”
.”It probably might take him a little bit longer to develop his Test cricket – he`s got a few things to work on there, particularly against fast bowling … all young Indians have the same deficiencies but I can see him continuing to improve,” he said.
“He hits the ball very well over the off-side through backward point off the quicks and against the spinners he uses his feet and hits very well through the leg side. He`s a good talent,” he added.
“Out of all the batsmen we had in that first year, Nitish Rana was the one I wanted the most. I loved the way he played, I loved his flair, and he hits the ball in slightly unusual areas as well,” he concluded.
The selection takes place tomorrow and the entire squad will be announced then.
