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Ajinkya Rahane said he doesn’t shy away from criticism and has never been too bothered by what people think about his game as his job is to win tryouts for the Indian cricket team.
Despite his fluctuating form over the past few years, the India Test vice-captain is the team’s top scorer (1,095 points in 17 games) in the two-year Test World Championship cycle leading up to the final. against New Zealand.
It sounds special, Rahane said of being the top scorer, but didn’t dwell too much on questions of batting form.
I am happy to take the criticism. I think it’s because of the criticism that I’m here. I always want to do my best whether people criticize me or not. For me, it is important to give the best of myself for my country and to contribute every time whether it is as a batsman or a defensive player, said Rahane, who led India to the epic victory of the series against Australia.
Having played Test cricket for over eight years, Rahane knows that public opinion is fickle and at best left alone focusing on the controllable elements.
I don’t really think about the criticism. If people criticize me, that’s their thing, and it’s their job. I can’t control all of these things. For me, I always focus on the controllable things, put my best foot forward, work hard and follow my process and the result follows.
Rahane added that even though he scores 40 and it proves to be useful for the cause of the teams, he is more than happy.
I will play my natural game. Winning is really important whether I score a hundred or not. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself and although my 30 or 40 years are precious to the team, I’m happy.
The vice-captain also underlined the need for the batting unit to take more responsibility in English conditions.
Hitters play a key role in England. The bowlers get a lot of help here and we have a big responsibility. Everyone has a different game plan. It’s about supporting your game plan. We will take responsibility as a batting unit and try to achieve the team’s goal.
Rahane had played for Hampshire County in 2019 and would have a good idea of the ground where he also played two Tests in 2014 and 18, which the visitors both lost.
I like to be in the present. I know the conditions. It’s about being in the present moment, adapting to the conditions. Also me being the top scorer doesn’t matter now. His past. I just don’t want to put any extra pressure and I would like to play freely, said Rahane, who is three hundred and six years in this inaugural WTC cycle.
The drummers added that he considers the WTC final to be another game. It’s just a mental thing. If we can mentally change and adapt, that’s important. Yeah, we’ve got to take it as another game, not as a final or anything. We just want to do our best, play cricket well, be consistent for the five days.
The likes of Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill will play the greatest game of their short careers, but Rahane thinks it’s best to let them play their intrepid brand of cricket with a clean-lined mind. Personally, I don’t tell them anything. They know their game plan. It’s about giving them freedom, supporting them, believing in their abilities. We don’t want any kind of confusion.
He also asked about the team mix as usual. We still have to decide on our combination. We still have two training sessions left.
With PTI inputs
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