IPL 2020: Ajinkya Rahane reveals how Sourav Ganguly influenced his decision of moving to Delhi Capitals

Former Rajasthan Royals skipper Ajinkya Rahane was traded to the Delhi Capitals before the last auction and is all set to don the new jersey in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He will be working under the able guidance of DC head coach Ricky Ponting, who has been focused on building a team around youngsters. Rahane, who will be the third opener for the Capitals, is quite excited about the change on his way.

The right-handed batsman has joined the team, which has a star-studded line up including Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, a seasoned Ravichandran Ashwin and Ishant Sharma. The team will be led by another young talented lad in the form of Shreyas Iyer. Rahane, recently, opened up on how former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly influenced his decision of shifting franchise.

During a recent live chat on Instagram, Rahane told Vikrant Gupta, “I am really excited to play for the Delhi Capitals. I remember when I was in Hampshire last year and was playing country cricket, Sourav Ganguly was covering India’s World Cup game. He asked me whether I wanted to play and told me to take my time.”

“I took my time and the fact that I would get to play under Ganguly and Ponting I felt would help my growth as a player. But as I said, Rajasthan Royals gave me an opportunity and I am grateful to them,” he added.

Opening is my favourite position: Ajinkya Rahane

The Mumbai boy, who has been a constant part of  India’s Test team, emphasises the fact that opening is his favourite position as he has a lot of experience in his bag for the same. Irrespective of anything, he likes to give his best for the team and will be trying to do the same to push Delhi to lift their maiden IPL title this year.

“In T20s I have always opened, and even in domestic cricket and in the IPL I have opened. So yes, opening is my favorite position. But I have always believed in giving my best to the team wherever they need me to be. So even if Delhi Capitals tell me to bat in the middle order and although opening is my preference, I am even ready for that as a cricketer and as a professional athlete,” he concluded.