I struggled but it’s important to enjoy: Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane was the toast of the town as he smashed his way to a hard-fought 188. The 27-year old Indian vice-captain was a picture of calm as he went about his innings whilst supposedly ‘struggling’. Speaking in the post-day presser, The 28-year old Mumbai-based batsman went on to reveal that the innings was indeed a special one due to the mental circumstance he was in at the time.

Ajinkya Rahane and skipper Virat Kohli stitched a partnership worth 365 runs, one of the highest Indian partnerships of all time. “This inning was really special and the partnership too (with captain Virat Kohli). We were 100 for 3 and from there getting 365 is really special,” said Rahane.

“It was hot out there today. I was struggling yesterday against the short ball and Virat told me to take my time. Today I wanted to dominate after getting the hundred. This partnership will stay in memory for a long time,” an elated Rahane said.

“We were talking about partnership yesterday but today it was hot and humid. We did not discuss too much about cricket. We wanted to have fun. The partnership was very crucial and we had decided to attack after getting our hundreds. We wanted their fast bowlers to bowl so that we could attack.

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The 27-year old also went on to reveal the struggles he felt during the innings. “In this innings, I struggled but it’s important to enjoy and tackle it which is what counts. As a batsman, it’s important to face the next ball calmly after being beaten. This showed me what Test cricket is all about. I needed 200 to 230 balls to reach my 100.”

“Today I was really happy they were bowling short balls as I knew they will give me runs. Yesterday, I struggled but today it was different. Once I got my hundred with Jeetan Patel and Santner came on to bowl, I wanted to play my normal cricket shots.

“Virat came up to me and told me yesterday not to worry even though I was struggling. He was batting so well and fluently. He said it does not matter whether you are getting hit. Tomorrow if you are there you will dominate.”

Finally, Rahane concluded by saying,  “Hard work is part of my routine. Preparations are always important for me. I practised in Mumbai for 5-6 days. I practised on slow wickets as in India they are slow and spin-friendly and each track is different. Here, for example, some balls came slow and some fast.”

“This will give us confidence but it’s a long season ahead. It’s important to play series by series and match by match. It will be important to play as a team. We are No 1 (in ranking) at the moment and it’s important to play consistent cricket.”

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