Ajinkya Rahane All Praise for Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni After Fruitful Season
Ajinkya Rahane won the CEAT Indian Cricketer of the Year award for a productive season both at home and overseas. The Mumbai batsman feels Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni have been big impacts on his cricket.
Ajinkya Rahane, who was named CEAT Indian Cricketer of the Year on Monday, has acknowledged the role Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli have played in his evolution as an international batsman.
One of the coolest customers during pressure games, Rahane too has had a calming influence on the temperamental Kohli, with whom he has stitched some stunning partnerships overseas.
"Batting with him (Kohli) is a great pleasure. We complement each other well. We understand each other's batting. The partnership with at the MCG was really special. We gave each other a lot of confidence," said the 26-year-old Rahane as he looked back at their 262-run stand in the Boxing Day Test. Both Rahane and Kohli slammed centuries.
India's newlook Test squad is full of energy. Men like Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Kohli bring in massive dollops of aggression probably never seen in recent times. In this squad, Rahane has been the coolest one. He has let his bat do all the talking.(Dravid All Praise for Rahane)
In an interview to Times of India, Rahane reveals that the team management has discreetly supported Kohli's aggressive mannerisms on tours and let India's latest Test captain be the man he is.
"He's an aggressive batsman, who likes some verbal battles, since it charges him up. So, I didn't force him to keep calm," said Rahane.
Kohli hit Test four centuries in Australia, but also made headlines for his verbal exchanges, especially with Mitchell Johnson. Rahane, however, remembers how it was such a good experience to bat with him for a long period of time.
Rahane has been India's most consistent batsman in the last 12 months. He rates his Test hundreds at Lord's and MCG very highly, but feels Lord's was more special as India won that game. However, Rahane is quick to say that his success in recent times is just a learning experience for him since his Test debut in 2013.(Confidence the Key to Rahane's Transformation)
"I've learnt a lot in the last two years. Every tour gave the confidence that I could express myself on overseas tours. I was really happy about the way I practiced before each of them," he said.
Rahane is all praise for Dhoni, a man with whom he perhaps relates better as a person.
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"Dhoni bhai gave me a lot of confidence, and backed me a lot. I would keep asking him ways to improve, and he would answer every question. So his contribution has been important in my success."
Rahane, who plays for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, has had a good run this season as well. He scored 540 runs in 14 games with a personal best of 91 not out. In addition to his close-to-50 batting average, Rahane had a strike-rate of 130.75, emphasising his ability to play the shorter formats with elan.(Rahane Credits Dravid for Success)
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"I really enjoyed my batting. For me, the process is important. I believe in myself, and know how I can play in every format. I have an idea about my game. My attempt is to learn something from every format. Because of this process, I can score quickly at good pace in T20 cricket. Mental adjustment and self-belief is necessary," said the Royals opener.
Rahane will be key to India's performance in the forthcoming season. He certainly has a healthy influence on a young and evolving team.