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I am confident of playing the World Cup: Ajinkya Rahane
Despite having a good IPL record, Rahane is not currently out of India’s limited-overs squad, but the right-hander is confident of making a comeback and playing in the World Cup.
After the Test series win against West Indies, India’s next big assignment will be against Australia when the team travels down under later this month. The bowlers, especially the fast bowlers, hold a lot of importance on Australian pitches, as there is minimal lateral movement on offer and hence, maintaining sustained pressure is very important.
Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane identified Jasprit Bumrah as India’s X-factor and said that he was a dangerous bowler who has the ability to get wickets anytime.
Also, he named Umesh Yadav as the fastest bowler in the world currently.
The Indian team led by captain Virat Kohli has been putting a lot of emphasis on fitness and the yo-yo test has become mandatory before a player is selected for the side across all formats.
“Yo-yo test is helping us set the benchmark not only in batting and bowling but also in fielding. Yes, the results and the test do matter in a positive way,” Rahane said at the Ekamra Sports Literary Festival.
Despite having a good IPL record, Rahane is not currently out of India’s limited-overs squad, but the right-hander is confident of making a comeback and playing in the World Cup.
“I am confident of making a comeback and I am confident of playing the World Cup. That is why I played domestic cricket because it helped me and i am sure I will bounce back,” Rahane said.
Young Prithvi Shaw, who has made a smashing start to his Test career by winning the man of the series award in his first sojourn against West Indies, will be the primary focus when India play in Australia. Rahane, who has known him from close quarters in Mumbai, wants the young man to believe in his abilities.
“Just believe in your abilities and keep doing what he is doing,” he said.
India were scheduled to play a pink-ball Test match in the upcoming Australia tour, but the BCCI refused the proposal owing to doubts over the quality of the pink ball. Rahane belives the varying weather patterns is a big factor in playing day-night Test matches in India.
“I think it depends on the weather of a country and the kind of wickets you get there. In India there is dew in the evening so that will tilt the balance in favour of a team. So, there are several factors involved,” he assessed.
So, what should be done to maintain the charm of the longest format so that the players continue to value its worth?
“Well, we need to reward performance in domestic cricket a lot more. Need to highlight individual performances in 4-day games. That will ensure the charm of Test cricket remains,” the Mumbai-man added.
India’s Test batting depends a lot on the engine room which consists of Cheteshwar Pujara at number 3, Virat Kohli and 4, and Rahane at 5. The vice-captain believes that Pujara has the skill sets to be successful across all formats and that one needs to be confident in their abilities.
“He has played several run a ball knocks in Tests also. I don’t think he would have ever thought that he could be a more attacking batsman. He has a skill which others don’t have and a lot of people would want to be like him. Easier for a batsman with patience to start playing shots but an aggressive player finds it difficult to curb his instincts. Need to have ability in yourself. Doesn’t matter what others say about you,” Rahane said.
After a prolific couple of years in 2015 and 2016, there has been a dip in his form in the recent past, and there were also murmurs about his place being in question, but according to Rahane it was just a phase and that he had be mentally strong.
“Sometimes there is a phase where you score a 20 or a 30 and you feel I can get a big one but your mind goes in the future and things change. It is important to stay in the present and keep mentally strong. A lot of people come to give you sympathy when things don’t work out but you need to keep such people way and not think of negative things,” Rahane said.
“It hurts when you are not doing well as you want to do well for the team. I was disappointed when dropped in South Africa but I wanted to stay focused and looked at Johannesburg as a great opportunity. And my 48 on that pitch was as good as a century,” he added.
The Indian team has often been criticised for tweaking their playing XI a lot, and plenty of questions has been posed to the team management, of which Rahane is also a part. However, the vice-captain says that the decisions are based purely on the conditions on offer and what is best for the team.
“I think sometimes the surfaces keep changing and the team management takes a call based on the conditions and the opposition. We just want to focus on the team management’s decision and don’t care about what is being said outside,” he said.
