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How different is Dravid's captaincy from Warne's?
He has played under the leadership of both, Shane Warne and Rahul Dravid, but according to Ajinkya Rahane, the style of captaincy of the two legends is as different as chalk and cheese!
"They (Warne and Dravid) are both legends, but entirely different captains. Rahulbhai likes to keep things simple while leading the side, but Warne was always game about trying various new things.
"It was not as if he expected it will always work, but he tried to experiment," says the talented Rahane.
Warne started calling Rahane 'Jinks'
So what has he learnt from the duo "off-the-field"?
The soft-spoken lad smiled and replied: "I would rather talk about the on-field part. Personally speaking, I have learnt a lot from Shane (Warne), but both Rahulbhai and Shane have been equally approachable.
"Interestingly, it was Warne who started calling him Jinks -- a nickname by which he is known in the Indian dressing room.
"I guess he (Warne) found my name Ajinkya too tough to pronounce. So he made it Jinks. But Rahulbhai often calls me Ajju (as he is referred to in Mumbai cricketing circles)."
'I don't look back at the past'
For Jinks and his team Rajasthan Royals, the Feroz Shah Kotla ground is 'jinxed', as they have never won a match and Rahane, in particular, had a forgettable Test debut.
"I don't look back at the past and try to live in the present. Obviously, I don't want to repeat the mistakes that I made earlier.
"The game against Delhi last year was disappointing, as we lost by just one run. We have learnt from our past mistakes and are ready to start from scratch," he said.
'I want to play match by match'
The ongoing IPL is a platform to perform well and seal a berth in the Champions Trophy squad, but the Mumbaikar is not looking that far ahead.
"We still have two months to go for the Champions Trophy. At this point of time, I want to play match by match," Rahane said.
He hasn't played a lot of matches, as he was mostly confined to the sidelines during his stint with the national team, but he feels that rustiness won't affect his game in the IPL.
"It's all in the mind. You need to adapt to all these situations. My main strength is to learn new things everyday but keep the basic things simple.
"Adjustments are important and how you approach the game is also important."
'My style is to keep things simple'
Lot of players use innovative shots in the shortest format, but Rahane feels he can even score while playing simple cricketing shots.
"Every batsman has his own style. My style is to keep things simple. My idol is Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, and they are successful playing proper cricket shots. I have a gameplan and I will stick to it."
For Rahane, Dravid is a role model and, on his own admission, he keeps learning from the legend every day.
"Dravid and Tendulkar are my childhood role models. I look at Rahulbhai and find him to be so humble. He is still such a good student of the game," said Rahane.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has clarified that Rahane is being thought of as a specialist middle-order batsman, but the talented right-hander refused to provide his opinion on the issue.
"I would rather not think about all these things and focus only on the IPL."