Kolkata Knight Riders‘ pacer, Harshit Rana, found himself in the spotlight once again, this time not for his on-field antics but for a light-hearted conversation with his coach, Chandrakant Pandit. The chat, which took place inside a flight diverted to Guwahati due to inclement weather in Kolkata, revealed Rana’s cautious approach towards matters involving the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Rana, who was suspended for a match and fined 100 per cent of his match fees for a send-off incident involving Delhi Capitals‘ Abishek Porel, was heard jokingly requesting Pandit not to talk to the BCCI about IPL 2024 scheduling. This incident comes on the heels of another fine Rana received earlier in the tournament for a similar offense against Sunrisers Hyderabad‘s Mayank Agarwal.
Despite these disciplinary issues, Rana has been a standout performer for KKR in this IPL season, sharing the position of the team’s joint-highest wicket-taker with Sunil Narine, both having taken 14 wickets each.
The chat
Harshit Rana: “Ek kaam karte hai, practice kar lete hai, ek session yaha kar lete hai (Let’s do one thing, keep a practice session here).”
Chandrakant Pandit: “Ek session yaha kar lete hai. Phir match bhi yahi khel lete hai. Ek last mein jo match hai hamara. (Yes, one session here and then we can also play our last league match here)
Harshit Rana: “19 ko match hai. Kal parso mein hi khelke khatam kar lete hai. Toh 19 ko nahi ana padega. “We have the match on 19th. Lets get it done with by tomorrow or day after so that we don’t have to come here again)
Chandrakant Pandit: “Main dekhta hu. Baat karni padegi BCCI ke saath. (Let me see, what I can do. Will have to talk to BCCI)”
Harshit Rana: “BCCI se toh baat karo hi mat (Don’t talk to BCCI).”
The flight diversion to Guwahati was not the only travel disruption for KKR, as their subsequent attempt to land in Kolkata also failed, leading to the flight being diverted to Varanasi. The team eventually decided to stay in Varanasi and is expected to land in Kolkata around 1:30 pm on Tuesday, provided the weather permits.
Rana’s conversation with Pandit sheds light on the camaraderie and light-hearted banter often shared between players and coaches, providing a glimpse into the off-field dynamics of IPL teams as they navigate the challenges of a demanding tournament schedule.
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