Nitish Rana talks about Gambhir's form-changing advice

Nitish Rana, who has amassed 266 runs with a strike rate of 135.02 and is currently fourth in line of the orange cap contenders, has attributed his success to Kolkata Knightriders captain Gautam Gambhir. The 22-year old had a terrible Ranji season but during the course of the tournament was advised by his Delhi teammate to alter his stance.

Rana used to take a low stance while taking guard in front of the wickets. Gambhir noticed this and advised him to take a more upright position while batting. The middle-order Mumbai Indian batsman discussed this advice with Mumbai coach Mahela Jayawardene and team mentor Sachin Tendulkar who approved of Gambhir's advice and after this discussion, Rana finally decided to alter his technique.

"As my form dipped and I got out early in a couple of one-dayers, Gambhir spoke to me regarding my technique. After coming here, I spoke to Sachin sir and Mahela sir regarding the same and both said Gambhir was right from the first day I started practising that way ", Rana told Hindustan Times.

"I have a low stance and there was a problem with me being side-on. They asked me to be upright and open up my shoulder a bit more to help me get a better look at the ball."

Rana was not as successful in the domestic season as he is in the IPL but according to him, failures are a part of the learning process.

He said,"Frankly speaking I feel if a person doesn't fail in life he won't be able to learn anything. I knew something big was on the cards. I failed a lot, people commented as well, but I ignored it and believed in myself, trusted my game and worked hard. Today, I'm getting the rewards of what I've put in."

Rana stated that his difficult domestic season made him work harder to prove himself in the IPL.

He further added,"Well, I didn't have a great Ranji season. So I just kept telling myself that I had a number of things under my control now and if I can keep myself mentally prepared, it wouldn't be too long before I get a chance to prove myself in the IPL."

He concluded by saying that his focus helped him during the difficult time which could have led him down the path of depression and paved the way for his splendid run in this season of IPL.