NEW DELHI: Ajinkya Rahane doesn't like being called a veteran yet. Over a decade of international cricket and 82 Tests later, Rahane is all about turning back the clock while shepherding a young bunch of rampaging Mumbai batters in the Ranji Trophy.
"Mumbai will always play like Mumbai," he said on the eve of their match against Delhi here at the Ferozeshah Kotla.
At 34, Rahane finds himself in a rather awkward situation. Technically, he is in the same place as the likes of Sarfaraz Khan, Prithvi Shaw and Yashasvi Jaiswal, a ll pushing for a place in the Indian team. Essentially, Sarfaraz is his competitor for a spot in India's Test middle order.
In such a scenario, revisiting his younger days is his way to claw back into national reckoning. "I was thinking about old times and when I first came into the Ranji team (back in 2007). How I used to play, what was my thought process. I have go ne back to the drawing board and I am trying to be the Ajinkya I used to be in my initial days," Rahane told reporters on Monday.
"You have to evolve continuously a s a player and continue to work and improve upon your strategies. No major changes but small changes, skill wise. Now, I have to be in the moment, thinking for Mumbai and doing well for the m. That's on my mind completely," he added.
Mumbai's batting line-up has been firing on all cylinders this season. This is something that was a regular feature when Rahane and Rohit Sharma were coming through the ranks in their younger days. "These boys are all young. Mumbai team was going through a transition. It's important to stick to a core group. They have got the experience now," Rahane explained.
In contrast, Delhi's batting has never looked as undercooked and vulnerable. It's just Dhruv Shorey, country's lead-ing run-scorer this season, who can match up to the might of Mumbai's batting. You ng captain Yash Dhull has looked unsure and has been reluctant to come out to bat in tricky situations. Dhull has been unwell for a couple of days and hasn't turned up for practice in the lead-up to the game.
While Delhi are looking for people to put their hands up, Rahane knows he has a few batters who are getting eager and anxious to get an India call-up. Rahane too experienced a similar phase in his early 20s. "You have to put your arm around guys who are going through a rough patch. Important to give them freedom to express themselves not only on the field but also off it. The individual can come to me and talk to me about anything that's going on in his personal life," he said.
Exactly two years to the day he captained India to a memorable Test series win in Australia, Rahane will know how to get the Mumbai boys together for a big match against Delhi.
