Ajinkya Rahane has been in the form of his life off late. In the fourth test at Delhi against South Africa, Rahane scored two spectacular tons in the game, to prove his brilliance. The Mumbai star opened up about his batting and personal life in an exclusive interview to Cricbuzz. Below, are the excerpts from the interview.
One thought marriage changed you.
Marriage changed (me) a lot. It’s been a great helping phase. The support you receive from your partner is very important and goes a long way. Especially, when she’s travelling during a tour, I always have that moral support, regardless of whether I do well or don’t. Someone is actually there to help you and support you emotionally and you can share your thoughts with her. That is great. I’m so lucky to have her in my life. She’s understanding, knows my routine what I do and don’t do before a Test match and things like that. She’s already sacrificing so much for me, I’m really lucky.
You seem to be making heads turn and people seem to be changing their opinion of you…
I have always believed it is important to back your cricket and give your entire focus and commitment when you’re out there in the middle. I try and do that, irrespective of whether I’m playing a match or practicing in the nets. I respect the game and just try and keep looking at ways to improve. I don’t think about outside things, like who’s saying what, what’s going to happen. What I do on the field is the only thing that matters. Contributing to the team and contributing towards a winning cause is the only thing that keeps me going.
When you say, ‘I never think about outside things’, is it something that naturally came to you as a person or is it something you cultivated over a period of time?
It comes naturally to me because, since childhood, I’ve always been like that, looking after my cricket, what I need to do and concentrating on what is important for me. It’s still a learning phase for me, but one of the things I always try and keep in mind is to work on things that are in my control, things that I can focus on. It’s going to be a constant learning phase for me and I’m looking forward to that.
What was the feeling like when you got that second hundred in Delhi?
I just completely went blank when I got the single off Imran Tahir in that second innings to get the century. I actually didn’t know how to celebrate. I didn’t even remove my helmet, just raised both my hands. But, inside my mind, it was a very special feeling. It was the second innings and we were 4-57. We actually had to bide time and there was a good partnership going between me and Virat [Kohli] – 151 runs. That day, I clearly remember, Virat was batting very well. He was scoring at a strike rate of 70-80. So, my thinking was just to keep giving him the strike and to take my time.
You and Virat seem to connect well…
There’s always been good communication between us (me and Virat) like it was in that second innings of the Delhi Test. We like batting with each other. In the second innings in Delhi, he was batting so well and it was a good partnership. I remember telling him… ‘you just take your time’ because he was batting on 82 and I was 50-odd and I thought I’ll take the risks until he gets his century and then he can take over. It’s great batting with him.
The entire series was a good one for you, but the batting in Delhi showcased your mental strengths…
Before going to Delhi, during the Nagpur Test, I spent a lot of time in the nets with Sanjay Bangar. One particular day, we were out there for close to two hours working on my batting. I just wanted to get that discipline right. And when I say discipline, I’m talking about the discipline of mind. I was never worried about the technical aspect. I just had to get my mental framework in place and that’s what I did. I guess it paid off in the Delhi Test because that’s what I did. I batted with discipline. Both the centuries were a result of just discipline and focus.