Ajinkya Rahane talks training, temperament, learning, captaincy and more

Interview by Arun Venugopal25-Jun-2016Do you train even during your downtime?
It’s important to train even if you’re not batting. You just have to do that routine every time. After IPL I didn’t bat for almost 20-25 days. I was just training, did my pool sessions. I just started my batting seven-eight days back. It’s important to get into that rhythm. It’s a long season ahead.You played with wet rubber balls ahead of the Australia and South Africa series, and practised with a plastic ball before the England tour. How are you prepping for the West Indies tour?
In West Indies, from whatever I have heard, a few wickets have good bounce and pace. Jamaica has good bounce. Few wickets might have some turn, some help for the spinners. So I am just practising according to that. It’s rainy season in Mumbai, so I am just practising indoors, but just simulating whatever conditions I am going to face.I was practising with wet rubber balls just to get my reaction right, my hand-eye co-ordination right. Because sometimes wickets are softer, two-paced wickets, it helps to practise with a tennis ball. The tennis ball comes [on to the batsman] slightly slower than a rubber ball. So I have been practising with a tennis ball, rubber ball and leather ball.This is going to be a long but rewarding home season in terms of the quality of opposition. What are the personal and team goals you want to achieve?
Personally, I am right now just focusing on the West Indies series. Yes, it’s a long season for us. We are going to play 17 to 18 Test matches, but it is important to stay in the present. Right now, our goal is to do well in West Indies because we did pretty well in Test cricket in the last one, one and a half years. It’s important to continue that form. We are going to play Test matches after a long time. The start will be very important for us as a Test team.You are now the vice-captain. Did you expect that appointment?
I never think about such things, but I am really happy, really excited. Thanks to BCCI, who gave me this new opportunity, new challenge in my career. It’s very good to see that selection committee actually believes in you, so that gives me confidence, motivation to do well for my country.

“I spend half an hour, 45 minutes the day before the game visualising. I sometimes sit, sometimes I hold my bat and do shadow practice”

Do you see yourself as a natural leader? Are there any situations you remember – on or off the field – where you demonstrated leadership qualities?
I was captaining the Mumbai Under-19 team in the Cooch Behar Trophy and we were playing against Odisha in Cuttack. It was a four-day game, and for the first-innings lead they needed ten runs, with five to six wickets in hand. I was a bit confused whether to give the ball to a spinner – the wicket was turning and there was low bounce – or fast bowler. I backed my instinct and gave it to a fast bowler, and he actually took all the wickets. We took the lead by two to three runs.I think as a leader, as a captain, it’s important to back your instincts, whatever you feel. Yes, it is important to take advice from your colleagues, but in the end what your instincts tell you, you should back that. Whenever I am on the field, I always try and think: If I am the captain, what should be my field? What will I do in certain situations, certain conditions? I always think that way, so that whenever opportunity comes I am ready for that.How important was the Zimbabwe series last year where you led a young side?
It was a very good experience for me as a captain. Because, I remember the first game, it was so close. Bhuvneshwar [Kumar] bowled really well. With ten runs to win in one over, he just gave four to five runs. That actually taught me a very good lesson – that as a captain you should back your team-mates, you should support them, give them confidence all the time. And as a captain, you also learn so many things from your team-mates, from your opponents, how they think, how they play with you, their composition and tactics against you. So you should be very open-minded to learn new ideas.Was it an opportunity to discover a side of you that you weren’t aware existed?
Maybe, yes. I was captaining after a long time – I just captained Mumbai U-19, and after that I went straight to the Indian team.You have to think for your team-mates and give them positive response. Whatever happens as a captain you have to take the responsibility. Backing my team-mates and supporting them was the biggest learning.When did you start expressing yourself more in team meetings and strategy discussions in the Indian team?
I think it started maybe two years back. Actually it started when I was with Rajasthan Royals and when Rahul [Dravid] or Rahul preparing here even before his 200th Test match. You have to have that dedication, that determination, that willingness to prepare.I believe that preparing before the series is important rather than going into the series and thinking about the game, thinking about the series. Your mind is already occupied. I always want to prepare ten to 15 days before the series. Once you are into the series, you just go into game mode. You just think about your game, just keep it really simple. You don’t want to strain yourself mentally.Before the Delhi Test against South Africa, you were averaging about 8 in India, in contrast to your fantastic record overseas. What was your mindset going into that game, where you eventually scored two hundreds?
I wasn’t looking at my average. It was just a number. I knew that if I played one or two good innings… I mean, it was just a matter of spending time at the crease.I actually didn’t spend time at the crease in that particular series. I was batting well but somehow I got out. I made that conscious effort before the Delhi Test. Me and Sanjay [Bangar] ). I get the best out of me when I think, but you should know when to think about your game and when you should completely switch off.”What I like about Virat is his consistency and his hunger to score runs in all formats. Keeping that mindset all the time is very challenging. It’s very important to learn this thing from Virat”•Associated PressHow do you avoid overthinking?
I have made one rule – after every practice session or a game just think maybe 15-20 minutes about what you did on the day. Good decision, bad decision, just analyse that day completely and just switch off after that. Then I don’t think about cricket, I don’t talk about cricket. That is actually helping me because keeping your mind fresh in this era is very important, because we play so much cricket, we play all the formats.Who are the contemporary batsmen across the world you enjoy watching? What have you picked up from them?
I enjoy watching Virat and Rohit [Sharma] in my team. [Among the] foreign teams I enjoy watching Kane Williamson because of the way he plays in Tests and one-dayers. Our game is a bit similar because we normally play cricketing shots even in T20s, and his consistency in Test matches and one-dayers is incredible. I enjoy watching Steve Smith’s game. He’s a different player. He has a different method of scoring runs. It’s important you learn many things from different batsmen, how they score runs, what their mindset is.What I like about Virat is his consistency and his hunger to score runs in all formats. Keeping that mindset all the time is very challenging. It’s very important to learn this thing from Virat. From Rohit, scoring big hundreds in one-dayers. He has got three-four 150s and two double-hundreds in ODIs. After scoring a hundred the 40 or 50-plus runs are very important because once you are set, you know how the ball is coming. These 40-50 runs will give us a good cushion. I am the kind of person – I just sit back and observe them. What they are doing on the field I just try and learn from it.On pitches where the ball doesn’t come on to the bat quickly, you find it difficult to rotate strike. How have you worked around that issue?
I did pretty well against South Africa in India. Sometimes, if the ball is not coming [on to the bat] it’s difficult to rotate strike, but you don’t want to hurry or play some rash shot. So I prepared myself really well. I was actually playing on rank turners and unprepared wickets here at the BKC [facility in Mumbai]. I wanted to make it really tough for myself so that I would be comfortable during the game. Making myself uncomfortable during practice is the key factor.On the slower tracks, it’s important to play as late as possible and use your feet against spinners. If you look to hit the gaps the ball will go to the fielder. If you look to hit towards the fielder the ball will eventually go into the gap. If you look to play towards midwicket the ball will go here () but if you look to play towards mid-on the ball will go to the midwicket fielder because of the slowness. I am working on getting those angles right. I keep the cones and I try to hit in the gaps. I think using my feet is helping me.

“Preparation is something you can control; results you can’t. I saw Sachin preparing here even before his 200th Test match”

This is something people have often wondered: does Ajinkya Rahane ever get angry? How does he show his anger?
Yes, I do get angry. In the end I am also a human being. But I don’t like to show it. I always like to keep it cool and calm. Anger is inside me. I don’t like to show it on my face. I have never sledged or showed my anger in the cricket field. Never. Whenever I stay cool and calm, I actually perform better.In the Indore ODI against South Africa, you were involved in a mix-up with Kohli, after which he reacted angrily against you. What goes on in your mind in situations like these?
Sometimes misunderstandings happen on the cricket field, but it is important to stay calm. Everyone has a different personality. Being aggressive helps Virat to perform better on the field, and staying cool and calm helps me perform better. I think you should respect each and every one’s character. Are you the odd man out in a team that has a lot of flamboyant characters?
Everyone wants to carry themselves differently on and off the field. Everyone has a different character, and so do I. My focus is to perform consistently on the field. Off the field I am just a normal human being.I always want to respect every individual on and off the field. It’s important to carry yourself really well off the field. My managers are looking after that. It’s important to build your image as well. As a cricketer you focus on your game, but off the field they focus on your image. Their job is to focus on my image, but my job is to keep contributing for my country.In a world where you are surrounded by PR agents, is it difficult is to be the person you are because there is an image they want you to have?
My mantra is simple: I will work hard on my cricket and completely love the game. For me it’s important to score runs on the field. For them it’s important to take care of me off the field. It’s important to trust your manager completely. From a player’s perspective, you can’t think of stuff off the field. That’s their bread and butter. They will take care of your image. If you take care of the game, other things will happen automatically.You have said your wife, Radhika, has been a reason for your opening up a lot more recently. Could you tell us about the impact she has had on your life?
We were dating for six to seven years, and in September it will be two years since we got married. She’s been helping me a lot. Whenever we’re at home, whenever we travel together, whenever she’s there on tour, she always tells me it’s important to say what you feel. Because I am a guy who just sits quiet and doesn’t say much. She is like, “As a celebrity, as a sportsperson, it’s important to say what you feel.” She also helps me keep researching new things, so I can get some knowledge about what’s going on around me.”If you are willing to help your team-mate, if you are willing to improve your team-mate’s game, eventually your team will go up and you are helping yourself also”•AFPHave you taken some of your team-mates by surprise recently by being more talkative or cracking a joke or two in the dressing room?
Not yet. Maybe in the West Indies series they will be surprised. ()Going back to the personality question, how do you blend in with some of the more flamboyant guys in the team?
We gel well together. This group has been playing together for the last two to two and a half years together. We have a good combination, we enjoy with each other not only on the field but off the field. We go out for dinner, go out for lunch, sometimes we just talk not only about cricket but in general about what’s going on in the world. I think that journey together is what we have. We enjoy each other’s success in the team. Things like these actually help you stay together and build the team. You get to know so many different things about different players and their character, how they think about certain thing.As top batsmen and athletes you are in a sense competing with one another, but are also working towards the same goal as a team. How do you balance the two?
Competing with each other would be the wrong word. I think we help each other. That’s the right word. During our fitness sessions, during our net sessions, we try and help each other to improve our game and improve our fitness. We motivate each other – that’s the important thing.If you are willing to help your team-mate, if you are willing to improve your team-mate’s game, eventually your team will go up and you are helping yourself also.You have also spoken about how carrying drinks is a very good thing. What are the things you learnt when you sat out so many Tests before making your debut?
From those 17 to 19 Tests I really learnt a lot. I was fortunate be there with those legends. That time everyone – Sachin , Viru [Sehwag], [VVS] Laxman , Rahul – was playing. I learnt a lot about how to approach different situations and how to react to them. Carrying drinks is a very good thing. You are helping your team-mate. I actually wanted to run on the field every time and give water to my team-mates. And sometimes you have discussions on the field. When you give water to your team-mates, they tell you about the conditions and that this is what is happening.Even sitting in the dressing room your mindset is to learn many things. My only motivation was to improve my game, improve my fitness, all the time. I used to wake up early and do my gym and running sessions. The intention was to just learn, learn and learn.Are you a fitness addict?
It’s important to stay fit all the time. We play so many games throughout the year. As an individual it’s your responsibility to look after your fitness, look after yourself and look after your diet as well. If you want to play 15 to 20 years you will have to sacrifice certain things.Do you still practise karate? Have you ever used it on anybody?
No, I don’t. I have never used it on anyone and I hope I don’t ever have to use it. ()