Trying to be the Ajinkya I was in my initial days: Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane is ”trying” to be the batter he was in his younger days. Far from the arclights and perks of being an India Test captain, the Mumbai skipper has embarked on a journey of self discovery, without any specific destination. He feels it is working well for him as 532 runs in five Ranji games, with a top score of 204 and an average of 76, would suggest. ”I was thinking about old times and when I first came into Ranji team (back in 2007). How I used to play, what was my thought process. I have gone back to the drawing board and I am trying to be the Ajinkya what I used to be in my initial days,” Rahane told PTI during an interaction on the eve of Mumbai’s penultimate Ranji Trophy game against arch-rivals Delhi. ”The idea is to keep things simple,” he added. Having been out of favour since the tour of South Africa early last year, Rahane admitted to having brought about some changes in his technique. ”Small changes obviously. You have to evolve continuously as a player and continue to work and improve upon your strategies. ”No major changes but small changes, skill wise, now I have to be in the moment thinking for Mumbai and doing well for them. That’s on my mind completely.” He also reminded that he can’t be selfish and only think about his own batting. ”I am not thinking too much about my own batting but preparation matters a lot to me. Preparation has been really good even before Ranji season,” said the 34-year-old who has played 82 Tests, 90 ODIs and 20 T20Is. Having experienced the high of international cricket, Rahane understands Prithvi Shaw’s ecstacy at getting an India recall (in T20Is) and Sarfaraz Khan getting ignored after back-to-back 900-run seasons.