ICC Champions Trophy 2017| Thrilled to find my name alongside Dravid and Vengsarkar, says Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane has revealed that his first reaction after reaching Lord’s cricket ground was to look up his name on the famous Lord’s honours board. He also added that the Indian players were charged up about practising at the historic venue given that many of them had not played there before.
Lord’s is one of the most iconic cricket stadiums in the world for a number of reasons. However, it’s the fact that the stadium documents the names of each player to score a hundred and to take a five-wicket haul at the venue that stands out the most. To have one’s name on the Lord’s board is one of the biggest achievements for a cricketer. And therefore, it comes as no surprise that Ajinkya Rahane is thrilled to see his name on the list.
Speaking to BCCI.tv, Rahane said, “My first reaction was to look up my name on the board and felt so happy to see my name alongside such great players like Rahul Dravid, Dilip Vengsarkar. I have got some good memories on this ground, especially winning the Test match and getting a hundred on a winning side was special for me. Getting my name on that board always feels really special and I think that knock is one my best in Test cricket.”
Rahane and his teammates were practising at Lord’s ahead of India’s first warm-up game against New Zealand on Sunday at the Kennington Oval. India then will play the second warm-up game against Bangladesh before opening their Champions Trophy
The Indo-Pak clash is a highly anticipated one and Rahane revealed the mood in the Indian camp saying, “We had a fantastic first practice session at Lord’s. All guys were looking forward to the practice session because many of them were playing for the first time on this ground.”
India had earlier beaten England during the second Test of the five-match series in 2014, and registered their first Test win in 24 years at the home of cricket.