Lord’s great motivation for India ahead of campaign
MUMBAI: Ajinkya Rahane feels India holding their first practice session at Lord’s was inspiring before the team defends the title.
Rahane was delighted to return to the venue where he scored a match-winning Test century on the 2014 tour.
“I have got some good memories on this ground, especially winning the Test here after such a long time and getting a hundred on a winning side was really special for me,” Rahae told bcci.tv. “Getting my name on that board always feels special. That knock is one of my best in Test cricket. It felt so happy to see my name there (on the Lord’s board) alongside such great names like Rahul (Dravid) bhai, Dilip Vengsarkar, and such great names.”
Rahane added: “In this ground, you get such a positive vibe, especially the Long Room etc. You get motivation, inspiration. So many legends played here, did well for their country.”
India will play two warm-up matches, against New Zealand on Sunday and versus Bangladesh, before facing arch-rivals Pakistan in their first group game on June 4. The warm-up ties will be played at the Oval.
LORD’S FEAT
India won a Test at Lord’s after 28 years in 2014, beating England by 95 runs to take a 1-0 lead, though they lost the series 1-3.
Rahane scored 103 before Bhuvneshwar Kumar (6/82 in the first innings) and Ishant Sharma (7/74 in the second innings) ran through the England batting order.
The Lord’s board has the names of players who have hit centuries or taken five wickets in an innings at the venue.
“The mood has been really good. We had a fantastic first practice session at the Lord’s. All guys were looking forward to the practice session because many of them were playing for the first time on this ground. You get such a great feeling when you play here. It’s a great culture for this sport,” Rahane said.