Ajinkya Rahane: Matches: 8; Strike-rate: 170. It's the scarcely believable new avatar that the Mumbai man has embraced after unlocking his inner aggression, without sacrificing his core strengths as a batter.
Rahane gave another peek into that new contour of him while hammering a 56-ball 98 against Baroda which carried Mumbai into the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final with a six-wicket win in Bengaluru on Friday.
"It's just a mindset change. The way this format is going on throughout the world, it is important to play with a fearless attitude, playing with freedom,” Rahane said in a media interaction.
Those words earlier had a reflection in the five sixes he hit far into the stands of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
But timing and classical correctness are Rahane's allies rather than brute strength.
"My game is always about the time. I'm not too strong. It's not about power hitting. For me, it's always about timing the ball. It's always about the extension of my defence.
"Even though I'm playing at a strike rate of 190-200, it's still classical batting. It's not power-hitting. It's always about trying to play over mid-off, over mid-on, over extra covers for left-arm spinners."
But does he feel the urge to play those eye-popping innovative shots the modern day T20 batsmen around him often execute.
"For me, it's about keeping it simple. That's the hardest thing to do for an individual. When you're doing well, your mind tells you to do something else, something extra. And that's where you actually make a mistake.”
However, the 36-year-old likes to dabble with the modern shots once in a while, if the situation permits.
"I always believe you should not have fear of failure.
"I do play different shots — reverse sweep, scoop. But you don't want to expose all the shots in one game. You try to assess the situation and conditions, see the pace, how the ball is coming, pace of the wicket, and try to play accordingly.
"You should have one extra shot with you whenever you're batting so that you can play with the fielder. You should not have fear of failure,” he explained.
Rahane dreams of India return
Perhaps, that brave attitude keeps his India dream still burning bright without getting disheartened by the domestic grind.
Rahane's last appearance for India was against the West Indies in last year's Port of Spain Test.
"Before making my Test debut, I played six seasons of domestic cricket, red-ball cricket. I still love the game. I'm still passionate about the game and the fire inside me is still alive to represent India."
The CSK factor
Rahane said his IPL stint with Chennai Super Kings helped him find a liberated mind.
"When I played for CSK, they gave me the platform and the freedom to express myself. The message was clear from them, just go out there and play my game. I'm an aggressive batsman. When I made my debut in Ranji Trophy, I used to play too many shots. So, I always had that game.
"But whenever I played for other franchises, my role was different. At Rajasthan Royals, it was always about playing an anchor role.
"That's why I was playing with a strike rate of 120-130 and play till 15-16 overs. But with CSK, The message was go out there and back yourself,” he detailed.
Rahane believes there is another glorious cricketing season in him.
"I don't want to get satisfied yet. It's always about getting better as a player. Try to learn from each and every game and go ahead all the time,” he signed off. suggets 5 clickbait headlines
