[2][3][4][5][6] Rana joined the Bangladesh Army in 2003 and played local tournaments for their football team over the next decade and more.
Having made his league debut at the age of 27, Rana became a regular face with both the club and country within a year.
He played full 90 minutes when Bangladesh got trashed 0–8 by Jordan during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC second round.
On 6 September 2016, he played his first and only match as Bangladesh captain in a goalless draw against Bhutan in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification – play-off round.
[11][12] His penalty save in the second leg could not prevent Bangladesh from crashing out of the play-offs with an aggregate scoreline of 1–3 in the favour of Bhutan.