When asked about the criticism he received for his inability to deal with short balls, Nitish Rana, captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), claimed it "hurt him" and prompted him to focus on his technique.

"I have worked on facing the short ball, and it is showing in my batting now. Because many were criticising my technique against the short ball. Many, many big people, who I would not name, have said things about my short-ball technique.

“Some even phone-called me directly, and that really hurt me. So, I have worked on my batting and dedicated my all to the game. I am in a better shape as well, and batting well as well," Rana said in an interaction with former Indian batter Mohammed Kaif on Star Sports.

This season, Nitish has been playing quite well. He has stepped into the role of KKR captain and performed admirably, leading the team to a number of notable triumphs and knocks. He has scored 326 runs in 11 games with an average of 29.63. He has scored runs at a rate of 146.84 percent. His bat has produced two fifty plus scores so far this season, with a high of 75. He is his team's second leading run scorer this year, after Rinku Singh (337 runs).

On Thursday, April 4, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will host the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata in an crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) match for both the team.