During an interview on a podcast Nitish Rana recalled memories from his childhood which displayed his immense respect for Sourav Ganguly. On the podcast Show, Rana also described that he used to cry in his room after Ganguly got out too early even when Tendulkar and Dravid remained at the crease. Rana’s preferred cricket hero Ganguly received his father and brother’s admiration yet Rana fully supported Ganguly which occasionally caused friendly arguments within his family circle. The strong emotional bond Rana felt toward Ganguly’s playing demonstrates how much impact the Indian captain had on next-generation cricketers.

Nitish Rana Shares Childhood Rivalry Over Indian Cricket Legends

“Dad was a huge Sachin Tendulkar fan. I loved Sourav Ganguly and my brother liked Rahul Dravid sir. So, in our house, whenever India played, fights were inevitable. Someone or the other out of the three of us had to get upset or angry. Because it was very rare that all three of them scored together. What used to happen with me was because Rahul sir was going through a career peak, I and my brother had a lot of fights. We could obviously say nothing to our father,” Nitish told FanCode.

Nitish Rana’s Childhood Cricket Rivalry Comes Full Circle Under Rahul Dravid

“Things like ‘Your player did not score runs, mine did’. I would get very agitated and cry in my room thinking ‘How did Sourav Ganguly get. Not today, I needed to show my brother’. On the other hand, Rahul Dravid would score 100s after 100s. So my childhood memories are these,” he added

Rana reflected on his debut with Indian team while being coached by Dravid as a perfect life cycle.

“My first Indian tour was with Rahul sir. If I look at this connecting it to my childhood, it’s a great achievement. Where I would be fighting regarding him as a child to playing under him. These things are very close to my heart.” said Nitish, who is currently playing for RR under the mentorship of Dravid.