India’s Test regular Ajinkya Rahane on Thursday (September 26) expressed his desire to sport the Blue jersey again, saying he wants to make comeback to the Indian ODI team.
However, Rahane’s main focus is currently on the upcoming three-match Test series against South Africa at home starting from October 2 at Vizag, but hopes for the white-ball game is still in his mind.
Speaking to media at an event organized by Indian Oil, Rahane said on Thursday: “Apart from Tests, I really enjoy playing ODI cricket as well. I want to come back to ODIs, but right now, the focus is completely on this series (against South Africa).”
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After being overlooked for World Cup 2019, Rahane decided to play the County Championships for Hampshire and his that stint really helped him to shine in India’s recent West Indies tour.
The right-hander further added, “After the Australia series, there was a long break. When I got to know that I was not part of the World Cup squad, my plan was to play county cricket and luckily, Hampshire called me. I thought I can actually use my time really well and learn about cricket and life. It’s a completely different experience when you play county cricket.”
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On the experience in Hampshire, Rahane said: “Here, we get things so easily. In county cricket, you need to do everything on your own. Apart from cricket, small things helped me a lot. I used to walk alone after the practice session and question myself about what I was thinking when I started playing cricket.”
The 31-year-old continued, “The answer was that I enjoyed (playing)cricket rather than focusing on the outcome. When you think about focus and outcome, you put yourself under pressure. I played seven matches and the focus was actually on the red ball because I knew we would play Dukes ball in the West Indies. Trusting your ability was the key.”
Mumbai batsman also admitted that it would be always challenging for a batsman who is considered a Test-specialist to make his presence felt across the formats. He further explained, “Your practice sessions should be really hard so that when you step in to play a match, it gets easy for you. Preparation and process is the key. You need to believe in yourself and come out strongly. If I can keep my mind at the present — that is Test cricket — other things will fall automatically. The only challenge you have is getting match practice.”
Rahane signed off by saying, “Sometimes, match practice is really important and facing quality bowlers is important. At the highest level, you face quality bowlers all the time. All of them are equally good. You don’t get loose balls easily. You need to practice really hard.”
(With Sportstar Inputs)
