Ajinkya Rahane’s gritty 81 saved India on day one of the first Test against West Indies. But he failed to make it to a three-digit score and his hunt for a hundred since last two years still remains.
Not a selfish guy
Rahane was bowled by pacer Shannon Gabriel after resurrecting the world’s top-ranked test side from a poor 25/3. Although he missed his century, Rahane didn’t seem to get worried about the same. He explained. “As long as I am contributing for my team, that’s what matters. Yes, I was thinking about my hundred but the situation we were in was tricky. I am not too worried or concerned about my hundred as that will come automatically.” He insisted that his focus was to revive the team innings and he looked satisfied as 81 on that pitch was a crucial knock.“As long as I am at the crease, I am thinking about my team, I am not a selfish guy. I thought 81 on that wicket was really crucial and we are in a decent position.”
How county helped
Rahane missed the World Cup but utilized the time by participating in county cricket. History suggests that the county has helped legends in shaping their career. Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid are two such names from Indian cricket. Rahane had a decent time in Hampshire. Speaking about the same, “That was a good thing for me because I took the decision when I got to know that I was not in the World Cup squad. I wanted to make use of the two months and I thought the county stint helped me a lot.” The middle-order bat for India explained how he was focusing on batting and working on some specific areas during his county stint. He said, “When you play with Dukes ball in England you got to play close to your body. I was batting at No. 3 as well so luckily I got to play the new ball there. Those two months I really used my time well…I thought I was in good nick and it’s good that I went there and had some batting practice.”
