Perth: India’s Ajinkya Rahane surprised the South Africans with a belligerent knock of 79 on Sunday. For somebody of such a light frame, the middle order packed a great deal of punch behind his shots - even hitting the fearsome pacer Dale Steyn for a six.
Asked about his calm exterior, Rahane revealed to BCCI-TV that it was because of learning karate as a kid that he had been able to maintain this visage. “I have always been a shy and calm person. I realised the importance of being calm when I used to practice karate as a kid. I was involved in a lot of fights where I got punched and kicked. This training helped me remain calm during those times, take those bashes and react later. That is my strength and I don’t want to change it.”
Rahane is able to bat without showing the slightest pressure on his face. “Calmness works for me and helps me stay focused on my preparations and plans. It gives me an idea of where I am heading. As a human being, it is natural to get angry - but the challenge is to control it. I counter it by being silent and it works for me. Of late, I have been practicing meditation which has also helped me in keeping calm and focused,” he said.
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni underlined the importance of Rahane in their batting line-up: “Ajinkya’s batting was very important because in the last game we promoted (Suresh) Raina ahead of him; then we had a chat with him and told him to bat to his strength and use his timing. One needs to make best use of his timing and especially in this game, I thought he batted really well. He backed his natural instinct, his timing, to a very great extent to get his runs. So I was very happy with his performance. With more games, I think he will start getting more and more runs.”
Rahane too believes that being in the Indian team is teaching him a lot, though he has not been in the playing XI very often. “Though I was in the squad on most tours, I wasn’t a part of the eleven initially. But, sitting on the sidelines I used the time productively. I was getting to observe the best in the game and look at their routine. That is something that is helping me now.
“I have always been positive. With every match and tour, you learn minute things about your psyche and cricketing techniques. How you channelise your thoughts and bring all the positivity in your game to the fore is when the real challenge begins,” said the 26-year-old.
