I want Virat Kohli’s attitude says Indian middle order Batsman Ajinkya Rahane

I want Virat Kohli’s attitude says Indian middle order Batsman Ajinkya Rahane: Ajinkya Rahane who burst on to the scene in 2013 enjoyed a smooth transition in international arena. He rose to national ranks in 2011/12 season on the back of enormously productive year with the willow when he racked up 1,089 runs in what was his only second Ranji Trophy.

The 26 year old Mumbaikar is one of the burly batting pillar of the national side. He is standing tall with a dream start to his test career in which he has amassed 1,069 runs in 13 overseas tests at an astounding average of 48.59 in a period when India has struggled in alien overseas conditions. He has conquered the hostile paradise of New Zealand, South Africa, England and Australia in his short career. If solid technique, temperament, grit and concentration are prerequisites for success in away tests, than this man is the master of it.

Meanwhile a few days ago, Rahane was Adjudged Ceat Indian cricketer of the year. In a recent interview with Live mint, he spoke in length on topics ranging from his experience with Tendulkar and Dravid to the captaincy of Dhoni and Kohli. From his disappointments on missing a test hundred to his favorite contemporary players. The calmness of his persona was ever so evident in his words as well.

A man who is considered to be a Test specialist added another feather to his cap with his IPL exploits in which he was the second highest run-getter. He vowed: It’s been a very good IPL season for me. I learnt a great deal about batting. For the last 12 months, process and preparation were key words for me before every tour. I always believe that preparation is very important and if you prepare well, naturally results will come. Of course, I am happy with my process and preparation but I have a long way to go and bringing consistency in my game is my main intent.

Rahane had the mentorship of two greatest batters of all time Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid during his stint in Ranji trophy and Indian Premiere League (IPL) respectively. Speaking about his experience with them, Rahane said: “I benefited immensely from these two legends. Sachin and Rahul bhai have scored runs all over the world in all conditions and when I talk to them, I get to learn so many things. During the IPL, Rahul shared his experiences and I learnt a lot. Both Sachin and Rahul are my role models and the way they have batted in the IPL and in T20 cricket, it’s an education for everybody. They just backed their natural game and they used to time the ball really well. My plan is also to time the ball nicely rather than try to hit it really hard”.

Speaking about the competition with the contemporary India batters, Rahane insisted that, “All of us have got respect for each other’s abilities. Challenging each other positively is a good thing. Most of us also have seen the importance of a shared dream and common goal in Sachin, Rahul, (VVS) Laxman and Dada (Sourav Ganguly). The way they used to prepare, the way they helped each other taught us many things. This generation also enjoys each other’s successes, tries to help each other and more importantly, enjoys each other’s company as well. For me, it’s important to help my teammate and share the success.”

There was a dreadful time in the early phase of his career when he had to warm the bench from 2011/12 season till 2013 when he finally got the opportunity to debut against the Australians at Delhi, but he failed. In spite of the delay, a resilient man like Rahane was not the one to get bogged down.

He said: “Cricket is my passion and I always give my hundred percent. I always respected the team management’s decision and honestly I never got frustrated during that time. In fact, I got doubly motivated to do work harder. My positivity helped me to face those tough times but I learnt a lot about my own game from the sidelines.”

When he missed a hundred on his first tour of South Africa by a whisker of 4 runs, he was utterly disappointed but he had learnt his lesson. He asserted: “When you miss a Test hundred, you are always disappointed. But cricket is such a great leveler. It teaches you a lot of things. When I missed the hundred by just four runs, I realized the importance of a Test ton and those four runs in Test cricket. That experience helped me in Wellington when I got my first hundred.”

Rahane is a great learner of the game and named his two favorite contemporaries to whom he looks up to learn the art of the game. The 26 year old said, “I think the kind of attitude Virat Kohli has when he enters the ground, is something I want to have. He always wants to win the game for his team. Outside India, I think Steven Smith (Australia captain) is really a special player. His consistency is admirable and I think one can learn a lot from these two contemporary batsmen.”

He also shared his pleasant experiences of playing under the likes of Dhoni and Virat as the skippers. He told: “Under Dhoni’s leadership I learnt a great deal about this game. He gave me confidence and I think he is the best captain in the world. He backs his players to the hilt. Virat is very aggressive player but in many ways he is like Dhoni. He also supports his teammates and always tries to boost their confidence and wants to win a lot of matches.”

Rahane is that sort of cricketer who prefers the virtues of peace and bliss over loudness and hype. He insisted:
My natural urge is to be calm and give utmost respect to the game. Being quiet helps me in focusing. Whatever I am today, it’s because of cricket and respecting this game is very important for me and I will always continue to do that.

Talking about his pre-season plans, the Indian middle-order batsmen said, “Each season brings different sets of challenges and no tour is easy. Right now, my focus is to prepare well for the Bangla tour and do well since they had a very good home series against Pakistan recently and also they played well in the World cup. It will be a long season and starting well in Bangladesh will be our main focus.”