Ajinkya Rahane Reveals Ben Stokes' Advice That Changed His Career: "We Played Together In IPL"
While social media scrutiny wasn't as relentless as it is today, Ajinkya Rahane spilled the beans on how he stayed focused during tours and, in general, avoided the gaze of trolls.
- Ajinkya Rahane spilled the beans on how he stayed focused during tours, and avoided the gaze of trolls
- Rahane revealed the advice of former England captain Ben Stokes which helped him switch off the outside noise
- "I remember Stokes advising me not to see social media in 2017 when we played together in IPL," said Rahane
Former India captain Ajinkya Rahane recently called time on his illustrious cricketing career that spanned nearly two decades last week. With 85 Tests and more than 100 caps in white-ball cricket, and over 8,000 international runs, Rahane leaves behind a legacy full of cherishable moments. Despite enjoying a decorated career, Rahane's journey had its ups and downs, like that of any other international cricketer. While social media scrutiny wasn't as relentless as it is today, Rahane spilled the beans on how he stayed focused during tours and, in general, avoided the gaze of trolls.
Reflecting on his career, Rahane revealed the advice of former England captain Ben Stokes, who retired from international cricket last month, which helped him switch off the outside noise.
"I delete all the social media apps when the series is on. But no one advises us to, and that's just my own advice to myself. I remember Ben Stokes advising me not to see social media in 2017 when we played together in the IPL. Creating a routine helped me individually deal with this once I am in my room. Just things like watching something on Netflix or some other app, reading a book, chatting to family, and ironing my clothes for the next day," said Rahane on Stick to Cricket podcast.
Rahane also insisted that having a designated social media team in this era helped him focus during tours. He also admitted the temptation to scroll through social media after a good game or tour, but stressed the need to avoid unnecessary interactions.
"I have my team who manage everything. Whatever I've to post, I generally send them the photo, and if there is anything to be approved, they'll send it to me. This really helped me a lot on tours. There is a temptation to log in to these apps when you have done well and see all the comments. But that's just temporary; what people talk about you," he added.
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Ajinkya Rahane
Ben Stokes