Want To Learn Patience, Determination From Dravid: Nitish Rana, Chetan Sakariya

Batsman Nitish Rana and pace bowler Chetan Sakariya, who are in line to make India debut in the forthcoming limited-overs series in Sri Lanka, say they are looking to learn patience and determination from Rahul Dravid, who is the head coach of the Indian white-ball squad in Sri Lanka.

"I have heard that Rahul Dravid as a coach is similar to Rahul Dravid the player. I wish I could bring even one percent of the patience he has within me - it will be a big achievement for me," Rana, who represents Delhi in domestic competition and plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, told a TV channel.

The left-handed Rana has been among runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and in other domestic tournaments like the Vijay Hazare One-day Trophy.

The 27-year-old Rana aggregated 398 runs in seven Vijay Hazare one-day games in the 2020-21 season at an average of 66.33 to be among the top five run-getters. He made 201 runs in seven IPL 2021 games and 352 in 14 IPL 2020 games. It will be interesting to see where Dravid plays him. Since there are already too many openers, he may bat at No. 3 or No. 4.

Left-arm seamer Sakariya, who has had a dream-like last few months that saw him graduate from being just a net bowler at Royal Challengers Bangalore to a Rs.1.2 crore buy for Rajasthan Royals, has upstaged his senior Saurashtra teammate Jaydev Unadkat to make the Indian team.

Sakariya said he wants to pick determination from Dravid. "I would want to learn how he was so determined when the opposing teams like Australia and England played dominant cricket. I want to understand how he troubled them and how he could achieve so much with sheer determination. I want to learn and understand the process which goes behind that mindset," he said.

The left-armer bowled a few good spells in domestic competitions, including IPL without being extraordinary. But the fact that he is a left-armer, the need of the hour for India, may help him cement his place in the India set-up.