During the IPL 2018 match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Eden Gardens (Kolkata), new KKR member Nitish Rana surprised with his right-arm off-break bowling as he dismissed two world-class and set batsmen AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli in two back-to-back balls.
In the first innings of this match, AB de Villiers was looking very dangerous with the bat while Virat Kohli was struggling with the bat for most time.
Coming to bowl in the 15th over of that innings where both batsmen were set and put over 50-runs partnership for the third wicket.
After conceding 6 runs in the first ball against AB de Villiers, Rana dismissed him on 44 runs off 23 balls. A short ball on off which AB hit but failed to clear the boundary as the long-on fielder Mitchell Johnson took the catch.
In the very next ball, Rana bowled RCB skipper Virat Kohli who scored 31 runs (33 balls). It was yorker delivery which Virat missed and the ball hit the stumps. It was the very important moment for the hosts KKR where part-timer Nitish Rana provided two important wickets for them.
The next ball was the hat-trick ball for Rana who got a hit for four by the new batsman Mandeep Singh. In the next two balls, Rana conceded 1 and 0 runs. It was his only over in this match as his bowling figure was 1-0-11-2.
On the other hand, RCB managed to put 176/7 at the end of 20 overs.
Now, look at the some Twitter reactions on Nitish Rana’s bowling
Nitish Rana was the surprise package today. #IPL11 pic.twitter.com/v7jKF8gFgO
— Sport (@CricketUrdu) April 8, 2018
https://twitter.com/karthik_jammy/status/983014742313918465
Nitish rana could b d key, who knows. 2 maiden scalps in ipl n how can he forget them, so very special
— Dr Gulshan Rai Bansa (@RaiBansa) April 8, 2018
#KKRvRCB kkr captain is change now,it's not gambhir's gamble with part-timer #nitishrana.@cricbuzz#cricbuzz pic.twitter.com/CyYSedCEJ5
— Syed (@syedabidraza81) April 8, 2018
And who would have thought, who would have thought, that Nitish Rana will get both AB de Villiers & Virat Kohli
— Muhammad Qasim (@Qasimiftikh) April 8, 2018
Amazing bowling by Nitish Rana…taking back to back wickets of De Villiers and Kohli #KKRvRCB
— aaditya (@aadibdl) April 8, 2018
https://twitter.com/SurelyIamJoking/status/983014680879759360
Nitish Rana u beauty πππ #KKRvRCB
— Mathan Sankar (@MathanSank) April 8, 2018
whosoever wins Nitish Rana had his day #KKRvRCB #NitishRana
— Vikar Alam (@vikar_alam) April 8, 2018
Nitish rana is the new Rohit Sharma of 2009 #IPL2018 #RCBvKKR #IPL11 #Cricket #KKRHaiTaiyaar
— Uday π€β¨ (@heyudayyy) April 8, 2018
https://twitter.com/phycho2jay/status/983016660348026881
With ABD on strike, I thought this is the last time ever Nitish Rana would be bowling. Turns out to be a complete game changer.
— Aman Marlecha (@aman_marlecha) April 8, 2018