RAHANE WILL LOOK UP TO BHAJI FOR ADVICE IN ZIMBABWE SERIES
The Mumbaikar said that he was confident that the young team he is going to lead will do well in Zimbabwe.
It’s a role that he is not used to, but then that does not dampen the spirits of Ajinkaye Rahane who has been named captain of the Indian team for the Zimbabwe tour.
Always eager to learn, the 27-year old Mumbaikar insists that he is going to learn from the likes of Harbhajan Singh who has been included in the series, which will play three ODIs and a couple of T20 ties.
In the absence of regular ODI skipper MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, Rahane feels that there will be pressure on him. “There is no doubt that the absence of Dhoni and Virat will be felt. But then we have some experienced players and we would be eager to give a good account of ourselves,” he said.
Rahane, who will be in the hot seat for the first time, said that he was looking to imbibe Dhoni’s cool mannerism, whom he has watched from very close quarters. “I respect Dhoni for the cool and calculated manner in which he goes about his job. In fact, I am very impressed by the demeanour he shows on the field,” said Rahane.
The candid Rahane said he would be consulting Harbha- jan in the Zimbabwe series. “I am going to consult Harbhajan during the forthcoming series. He has been around for many years and his inputs are going to be vital,” he said.
When asked whether he skippered at any level before, Rahane said that he captained the Mumbai under-19 team. “I captained the Mumbai under-19 side in the Cooch Behar trophy and also the Ranji Trophy T20 team. I did a bit for the Mumbai ODI side too. I learnt a lot from those experiences even though I was just a year or two old in my domestic career that time.”
“To captain Team India seems like a dream. I know how capable I am. I am looking forward to this new role ,” he added.
Interestingly, Rahane said that he was confident about the abilities of the young side he was leading. “These are guys who have had a good run in the domestic and IPL season. They have got their rewards for their consistent performances. Every player has played their part towards their respective team’s success. I am excited to lead this bunch of guys and looking forward to joining them really soon.
He further said, “As a captain I believe it is always important to back your players and give them confidence. I want to lead by example and be positive at all times. It is a challenge to lead a side that doesn’t have the services of the seniors, but every international tour is challenging. We take every opposition seriously and Zimbabwe is no different. My motive will be to give the guys the confidence to perform and motivate each other,” he said.
As regards his batting, Rahane said that he was confident about a good showing. “I have been batting well across the three formats and I feel I have learnt a lot. I feel in the ODIs I have to work on my thought process a bit more. I have been working hard on improving my mental conditioning with my coach Parveen Amre. I have put in a lot of effort and feel that the results are around the corner,” he said.