"I Was 12th Man For 2 Years": Ajinkya Rahane Reveals 'Tough Phase' With Team India
Former Indian cricket team batter Ajinkya Rahane revealed one of the toughest phases of his career and recalled his frustration over travelling with the national side without playing a single game.
- Former Indian cricket team batter Ajinkya Rahane revealed one of the toughest phases of his career
- Rahane made his white-ball debut in 2011 but had to wait for two more years before playing his 1st Test match
- "I had to wait 20 games for my Test debut, and I was there as a 12th man for two years," he said
Former Indian cricket team batter Ajinkya Rahane revealed one of the toughest phases of his career and recalled his frustration over travelling with the national side without playing a single game. Rahane made his white-ball debut in 2011 but had to wait for two more years before playing his first Test match. He was part of the squad on many occasions but ended up being the 12th man for a very long time. He finally made his Test debut against Australia in 2013. Rahane admitted that the two-year period was extremely difficult for him but added that he embraced the role over time.Â
"The first two years, when I entered the team for the first time in 2011. I had to wait 20 games for my Test debut, and I was there as a 12th man for two years. That was a challenging phase, but I learnt a lot from it. I had two choices: either to gain sympathy or try to improve myself. There is nothing bad about being a 12th man or serving water or helping your teammates. I took it positively. I would look at everything, and because of that, I could play for a long time. Observing helped my attitude and mindset. It would be easy to gain sympathy, but I never expected that," he said on his YouTube channel.
Rahane also explained how patience played a key part in his journey before admitting that it did not always come naturally to him. However, experience helped in shaping his outlook and he revealed how much senior players helped him.
"It was there from before, but it also developed as I kept playing and gained experience. I will not say I had so much patience right from the start. When you travel in a local train in Mumbai, it is challenging. So somewhere, patience develops right from there. When I started domestic cricket and kept scoring consistently, you unknowingly think that your name should come for India. And even I thought the same. But after talking to some senior players and over time, I realised it will happen when it has to happen. You do whatever is in your control. If you want to play for long, patience is important," he added.
Ajinkya Rahane