Ajinkya Rahane was relaxing at home in Mulund on Monday afternoon when he got a call from the Cricket Centre that changed his life. He was informed of his selection in the Indian ODI squad for the five-match series against England. His dream had come true and his phone hasn’t stopped ringing since then.
But the first thing that the 23-year-old did was to thank God that he has been rewarded for his years of hard work. “I am on cloud nine. I don’t know what to say. I thank God for this opportunity. Life is full of surprises,” Rahane told DNA.
The Ashwi-KD-born youngster said he hasn’t counted the number of congratulatory calls he has got. “There have been many and non-stop. My phone hasn’t stopped ringing. I haven’t counted, but it is a great feeling. I always dreamt of playing for India and finally the dream came true,” added Rahane, who is doing his TY BCom.
He is thankful to his parents who have supported him even through the tough times. “The feeling is great because this has given joy to my parents. Especially after the way they have supported me throughout my career even when the going was tough for us,” he said.
Rahane began his cricket career from a small academy in Dombivli. “I would disturb my neighbours and break their window panes. When dad heard about it, he got me admitted in an academy in Dombivli. That’s where my cricket career started off,” he said.
The youngster knows that the going won’t be easy at the highest level. “I have scored many runs in domestic cricket but you can’t compare it with international cricket. My struggle begins now. Now, I will have to work harder to cement my place in the side.”
He says that the English conditions are not going to be easy,
but he is ready for the challenge. “I am ready for the challenge. I have been to England before, with India A team, and know the conditions,” he added.
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Scored 1000 plus runs in 2007-08 and 2008-09 season
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In the 2007-08 Duleep Trophy, scored 172 against the England Lions. The attack included the likes of Graham Onions, Monty Panesar, Liam Plunkett
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Scored 1003 runs in the 2010-11 first-class season in 9 matches @ 83.58 with 5 hundreds, 2 fifties
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His highest score of 265* came in a 2009 Ranji Trophy game against Hyderabad in 382 balls
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Scored a valiant 191 in just 220 balls but couldn’t prevent defeat for Mumbai vs Rest of India in the 2010-11 Irani Cup
