“He told me to not worry about anything and be strong mentally” – Ajinkya Rahane reveals Rahul Dravid’s advice before Australia tour


“He told me to not worry about anything and be strong mentally” – Ajinkya Rahane reveals Rahul Dravid’s advice before Australia tour
Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane was under tremendous pressure when he took over as stand-in captain of the Indian team during the second Test against Australia. The team was down and out in terms of morale as they were shot out for 36 in the previous game, their captain and ace batsman Virat Kohli had left for India on paternity leave and the injury list was piling up in the team. However, Rahane held firm.

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He came up with an excellent display of captaincy and marshalled his troops to perfection in his trademark calm and composed manner. He led from the front in the second Test with a century and continued to impress throughout the series as India completed an unlikely comeback to clinch the series 2-1 by defying all odds. After the series, Rahane’s captaincy was hailed as a key reason for India’s success and rightly so.

‘The conversation with Rahul bhai made it easy’ – Rahane

Rahul Dravid

Ajinkya Rahane spoke to The Indian Express about a conversation he had with former Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid and said, “Rahul bhai actually called me before the series, when we were leaving to Australia from Dubai. He said, ‘Don’t take any stress, I know you are leading the team after the first Test. Don’t worry about anything, just be strong mentally. Don’t bat a lot in the nets’, [which is] unlike Rahul bhai.”

“Rahul bhai loves batting, and he was like ‘that’s the mistake I did’. He said, ‘Don’t bat a lot in the nets, your preparation is really good, you’re batting so well. So, don’t take any pressure. Just think about how you are going to lead the team, how you are going to give confidence to the players. Don’t worry about the result, it will take care of itself’. That conversation really made it easy, Rahul bhai telling me to not bat a lot in the nets. It was really good,” he added.

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Rahane will next be seen in action as India’s vice-captain in the first Test against England in Chennai from February 5.

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