Rahul Dravid told me I'll bat at No. 3 - says Rajasthan Royals' batter Nitish Rana

GUWAHATI: Coming in to bat at No. 3 ahead of stand-in skipper Riyan Parag, Rajasthan Royals' batter Nitish Rana played a blazing knock of 81 off 36 balls (10x4, 5x6) to set up a fine win against CSK, though he himself felt the turning point was a Riyan blinder in the field to send back Shivam Dube.
“I believe Riyan’s catch at cover to dismiss Shivam Dube was the turning point in the game,” Rana told reporters.
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On his coming in at first down instead of Riyan, who batted at No. 3 in the last two games, the former Kolkata Knight Riders' captain said, “Yesterday (Saturday) I got a call from Rahul (Dravid) sir before practice, informing me that I would be batting at No.3. I didn’t come for practice because I was not feeling well, but I was ready to bat wherever the team needed me to.
"I learned from the previous two matches that I was trying to hit too hard. In this match, I focused on using the pace of the new ball to my advantage.”
Crediting their bowlers for restricting CSK six runs short of the target, he added, “Credit goes to Jofra (Archer) for his excellent bowling in the Powerplay (1-13 in 3 overs), which was as important as batting. The ball gets older after the Powerplay, starts to spin and slows down. Hasaranga was excellent after that, taking the next four wickets.”