As a batsman, it’s a challenge to play on club grounds, says Ajinkya Rahane
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Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahana, currently plying his trade for county side Hampshire, revealed that the conditions at the smaller club grounds open on all sides are very different from those used on the international stage. He went on to discuss his experience of playing county cricket so far.
While most cricket fans currently in England are spending their time enjoying the game’s biggest festival that comes around every four years, a certain Ajinkya Rahane is going around playing matches in his debut season for Hampshire in obscure cricket grounds, letting a whole new experience sink in as he prepares for a return to the national side following the mega event. With the club having played its last two matches on small club grounds, Rahane discussed what the experience was like in an interview.
“These grounds don't have the same facilities as those at international cricket stadiums.The wickets are under prepared at times. As a batsman, that’s a challenge. The bounce on the two club ground wickets was different. Not many games are held here. The ball keeps swinging the whole day. That doesn't happen in the big International stadium, unless the conditions are overcast big time. On these grounds, even if it’s sunny, the ball tends to move around because of the breeze,” he told the Times of India.
However, being born and bred in Mumbai, Rahane knows all too well about playing in local grounds. Like most other cricketers to have emerged from the city, he had participated in the Kanga Cricket League in early days, a local league that has been played in by legends such as Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan and many more such glamorous names.
"Like the Kanga, the matches start here even if there's a light drizzle. While fielding in the slips, I was telling my teammates about the Kanga League, how it's a historical tournament, how we play on wet wickets, how the grass is so tall in some of the grounds that the ball stops and we can sprint between wickets and take a few extra, it's important to be street smart in these kinds of conditions,” Rahane said, comparing the two experiences.
A very promising cricketer, the 31 year old has in the past served as a captain for the Indian test team, won the BCCI Cricketer of the Year award and has also been recommended for the Arjuna Award. However, a lean patch of form saw him unable to earn a spot in the 15-man squad for the World Cup. Rahane though has seized the opportunity by opting for county cricket and has had a great start to life there, having scored a century in his very first match.
“It was a special moment. What I’m learning here is that we focus so much on practice, but sometimes it’s all in the mind. You have to adjust mentally as quickly as possible - whether it’s through visualization or any other method that you have. If you’re mentally strong, and adjust accordingly, then skill-wise you’ll adjust automatically. I saw how our opponents, the Nottinghamshire batsmen, were playing in these conditions. I tried to apply the same things that I observed,” he concluded.
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