Praveen Amre reveals an interesting story about Ajinkya Rahane after the batsman hits form at Trent Bridge

Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane came up with a much-needed half-century in the first innings of the Trent Bridge Test and it immensely pleased his mentor and confidante Praveen Amre. Rahane hit 81 to become the second batsman after captain Virat Kohli to cross the fifty-run mark in this series and his 159-run partnership with the latter helped India register a respectable first innings score of 329.

Amre, who has worked with Rahane for a long time now, revealed a very interesting incident that took place in the run-up to the do-or-die Test match in Nottingham. India are trailing the five-match series 0-2 and have to win the contest if they aspire to grab a Test series in England.

He doesn’t need to be told how to bat

“I must tell you a small story in the lead-up to the third Test. I just celebrated my 50th birthday on Tuesday and when he asked me, I said I want to see him raise his bat to the dressing room and that would be my best birthday gift,” Amre was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

“I cannot tell you how happy I was at the moment when he reached his fifty and raised his bat towards the dressing room. Yes, he could have converted the 81 into a three-figure score, but it was a good catch that saw him getting out. For me, it was the flawlessness of the innings that stands out,” said the former national cricketer who turned 50 on August 14.

Rahane’s knock that came off 131 balls might have also saved his Test career from facing an uncertainty. Amre, who played 11 Tests and 37 ODIs for India in the 1990s and is a member of the club of batsmen who hit a Test century on debut, was happy that Rahane’s half-century came at the right time. The Mumbai batsman was averaging in single digits in his 10 innings and badly needed a good score.

“After 47 Test matches, he doesn’t need to be told how to bat. At this level, things are all about adapting and fighting a mental battle when the chips are down. If you can be mentally tough, you can come out of the situation a winner. While the world is cruel and pundits are expected to be critical when you don’t perform at the expected level, it is the job of the coach to show the player how he can improve. I just kept it simple and told him that he looked good even in the first two games before getting out cheaply,” Amre added.

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