Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane has credited his success in the Indian Premier League and domestic T20s to playing "fearless cricket" while remaining calm.
The 36-year-old topped the batting charts in the previous edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy scoring 469 runs, including five half-centuries, at a strike rate of 164.56. His aggressive approach also paid off in the IPL where he was the batting mainstay for Chennai Super Kings in the last two editions.
"It was always about being an anchor and the others would play around me. (But the) last 2-3 years, it's always about playing with freedom, fearless cricket and go out and back my game," Rahane, the brand ambassador of Skillhub Online Games Federation, said in Mumbai on Tuesday.
"I am trying to do that (play fearless cricket) but it's (also) about following my processes and routines and staying loyal and truthful to the game."
Rahane, who led Mumbai into the Ranji Trophy semi-final and scored 467 runs, said he would carry the confidence from domestic cricket into the upcoming edition of the IPL.
"For me, personally, batting-wise I am doing really well. Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy was really good for me; I had a really good domestic season. So, I am really confident about myself," he said.
"It is just about staying in the moment, staying calm and keep backing myself, not to think too much ahead and not to think about the past. It's always about improving and enjoying my game," he added.
Rahane felt that India's victory in the Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai on Tuesday could also be attributed to the side not dwelling into the past record against Australia in the knock-outs of ICC tournaments.
Before Rohit Sharma's side won the match by four wickets, India had never beaten Australia in the knock-outs of ICC tournaments since the quarter-final of the 2011 World Cup in India.
India had lost to Australia in the 2015 Cricket World Cup semi-final, the 2023 World Cup final and the 2023 World Test Championship final.
"Very happy that India has won the semi-final against Australia and have entered the final. I want to congratulate the team and I am sure they will do well in the final.
"What happened in the past is gone, the team must be thinking about the present and their aim was to beat Australia... to beat them in the semi-final.
"Obviously, what has happened in the past keeps playing on the mind but, as a cricketer, your mind is always in the moment, in the present, to do well in that game to win the match," Rahane said.
Rahane, who was appointed KKR captain ahead of the upcoming IPL season, said he would like the defending IPL champions to keep it simple.
"Our team is really good, everyone is playing really well. We had a camp in Mumbai, all the domestic players were here but international players are also playing which is really good," he said.
"We won the championship last year but again this year it is about starting from the scratch, starting from zero. T20 is a funny format and IPL is a challenging tournament.
"I am happy and humbled to be captain of the KKR team. We would like to keep it simple, take one game at a time and stay in the moment and enjoy the format."
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