"Not A Selfish Guy": Ajinkya Rahane Not Concerned About Missing Out On Hundred

Ajinkya Rahane scored a gritty 81 in tough circumstances, digging India out of a massive hole on Day 1 of the opening Test against the West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound in Antigua on Thursday. Rahane's knock was crucial to India's cause after the visitors were reduced to 25 for three with big guns Virat Kohli (9) and Cheteshwar Pujara (2) back in the hut. Rahane, though, fell 11 runs short of a deserved century, a milestone he last achieved in August 2017. Rahane, however, was unperturbed by not reaching the magical three-figure mark, saying that he is not "selfish" and was "thinking about my team".

Rahane last scored a century in August 2017 against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

"As long as I am at the crease, I am thinking about my team, I am not a selfish guy. So yes, I am not too concerned about the hundred as I thought 81 on that wicket was really crucial as we are now in a decent position," said Rahane after India finished the day at 203 for six.    

"See, as long as I am contributing for my team is what matters. Yes, I was thinking about my hundred but the situation we are in -- 25 for 3 was tricky. As I have said, I just thought if I could contribute for my team. I am not too concerned about my hundred as that will come automatically," the 31-year-old said.

Ajinkya Rahane spent a couple of months with Hampshire in the English county, playing seven games in which he scored a hundred and a fifty.

The right-hander feels that it's too premature to say whether the stint proved beneficial or not but it certainly helped him get some quality batting practice.

"See it (county stint) was important. I took the decision when I got to know that I won't be a part of World Cup squad. I wanted to make use of the two months and I played seven county games, focussing on my batting, working on few areas."    

Playing close to the body is one technical aspect that he worked on after getting a chance to bat at No.3, which exposed him to the new ball in seaming conditions.

"When you play in England with Dukes ball, you have got play close to your body. I was batting at No.3 as well so luckily I got to play the new ball there. Those two months, I really used my time well but it's too early to say that county stint helped me. But it's good that I went there and had some batting practice."

"In England everyone knows that it's all about the conditions. When its cloudy, you got to respect the conditions and when its sunny, you know that its good for batting. I had some good knocks, so yes, it was a pretty good stint for me," he said.

(With PTI inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team West Indies Cricket Team Ajinkya Rahane Cheteshwar Pujara Virat Kohli West Indies vs India 2019 West Indies vs India, 1st Test Cricket