But for Rana to make a move, he had to fulfil a demand put forth by his elder brother, who was working in Saudi Arabia and the primary earning member of the family. “Rana’s father is a small-time farmer and it was his elder brother who used to send money to the family from Saudi Arabia to make ends meet. Initially, the brother was skeptical and was of the opinion that due to cricket Rana’s studies might take a back seat. So he demanded Rana to complete his 10th class before moving to district headquarters. Once that was done, he asked Rana to complete his 12th along with cricket coaching,” added Alamgir.

Even moving to the academy didn’t work immediately for Rana as it was raining then and the youngster had to wait to showcase his skills. “On Day One, I gave him a new ball and an old ball to check his skills. He bowled quite well with both balls. His pace was extraordinary as our professional wicketkeeper was struggling to collect the ball. But a lot needed to be done as his run-up was haphazard and he was holding the ball with both hands. These issues make a bowler injury prone. So we worked on him for almost two years before he made his first-class debut,” reminded the coach.
 
Swimming, climbing trees developed Rana’s muscles
Alamgir holds Rana a natural talent and attributes his fast bowling to activities he used to do in his village. “He was tall and that definitely helps to extract extra bounce from the surface. But his shoulders were also strong. Besides, his core body was well-built. I asked about it and he said he used to swim for hours in his village. He also used to climb mango trees up and down in his village, along with his friends. These activities apparently developed his muscles and made him fit enough to bowl faster.”

Rana used to bowl for hours in the nets with the coach video-graphing him. They both used to watch the videos later and work on the pacer’s skills.
The efforts put in by the pacer and the coach paid rich dividends as the former made his first-class debut for Rajshahi Division against Barisal in the National Cricket League in October 2021. In the next season (2022-23), Rana claimed 41 wickets to grabbed eyeballs. However, it was his stints for Khulna Tigers in the Bangladesh Premier League that caught the eye of selectors and eventually fetched a national call-up for the Test side this year.

Usually, youngsters of his age follow the footprints of famed cricketers in their early days. They follow their role models’ lead to carve a niche for themselves. But Rana is different. “I once asked him whom he follows as a cricketer and his reply was unique. ‘Sir I want to be Nahid Rana, why should I become like anyone else’. The reply was surprising but it was perfect as well. I also asked him to be natural and carve out his own paths.”

With 11 wickets from the first three Tests, Rana has already announced himself on the world stage. How he fares in the two Tests against heavyweights India will further shape his career and Alamgir strongly believes there will be many not only in Bangladesh but across the world to follow the footprints of Rana when he hangs his boots.