Although India, like in Tests, failed to win a single one-dayer in England, the series ought to be a memorable one for 23-year-old Mumbai batsman Ajinkya Rahane. Having performed consistently in the domestic circuit for the last four years, the youngster showed his mettle at the top level too.
He was like a breath of fresh air in a tired and injured Indian batting line-up. Rahane received praises for his courageous batting in difficult conditions by greats Sunil Gavaskar and Sourav Ganguly.
The top-order batsman, who returned home from England on Sunday morning, told DNA that the tour was quite an experience. “It was a nice experience. Conditions were difficult, but I enjoyed playing there,” Rahane said.
The 23-year-old revealed that he was nervous when he landed in England. “I was nervous. But all the seniors were supportive. From Mahi to Rahul bhai, Sachin paaji, everyone motivated me and it gave me enough confidence.
“I got to learn a lot from the senior players. Mostly about how they prepare and how they play during an international game. All of them were helpful,” Rahane added.
Rahane, who scored two half-centuries including a 61 in his T20 debut and a half-century in the second ODI, said he was not satisfied with his performance.
“When I stepped on to the field, I was nervous because that was my first international game. But when I took guard, everything else took a backseat and I concentrated on my innings and scored 61. Then, I got some good scores in the ODIs too, including one half-century. I could have done better. Though I am happy with my performance, I am not satisfied,” said Rahane.
Rahane added that he enjoyed opening the batting with Parthiv Patel. “There was no Gauti or Viru bhai and that was a big challenge for us. However, we didn’t want to take any pressure.
Parthiv and I have opened for West Zone before, so we were comfortable. There was no strategy, we just went out there to enjoy,” said Rahane, who had three half-century partnerships with Patel.
Rahane says he was overwhelmed when Gavaskar called him a “breath of fresh air”. However, he says he wants to keep working hard.
“When you play for India obviously there will be expectations. I just enjoyed the situation and also the compliments, which I received from the greats. I will try my best to live up to their expectations. Of course, there will be pressure but I will work harder than before,” he said.
