Ajinkya Rahane believes India will carry aggression and attitude of their Johannesburg game to England

Rahane gears up to lead India in the one-off Test against Afghanistan ahead of the England tour and this is not his first rodeo as he had undertaken the responsibility of captaincy for the Indian team in the Dharamsala Test against Australia in 2017 and led India to a series victory. And ahead of his second stint, Rahane spoke about the challenges ahead, the Johannesburg innings, his fitness routine and many more aspects relevant to the immediate future.

“There are processes to be put in place on the personal front, responsibilities to be carried out (as captain of the one-off game). Two matches down in a three-match series and you get a wicket like that, you're up against the wall and the only way out is a fightback, it's how you react to the situation. It was an equal opportunity contest and I thought we were phenomenal,” he noted.

“It's great that I got an opportunity on a wicket like that one. I knew I was batting really well in the nets. I could feel it. Normally you do have an idea about your game but on a wicket like that, it's your guts that count. When the ball goes from right next to your helmet or even if you're sitting in the dressing room and watching your teammates bat in similar conditions, it's very easy for someone to start thinking a bit negatively. But in that Test, on that wicket, every batsman in the team was like 'ok, right now I want to go out there on that wicket in this kind of a situation'. That's exactly how even my mind was thinking too. Even a century in a different scenario would probably not give me the kind of joy that 48 did.”

After having made a solid statement in Johannesburg, all that remains now is to carry the same mindset to England. Rahane said that the Indian side will have the same intent, aggression and attitude in their England tour. He added that the team's overall performance is enhanced by the intent with which one approaches a game as most cricketers are more or less similar in terms of skill.

“It gives you an opportunity to come back into the contest. South Africa is a classic example. The contest would've been completely a different one moving forward from the Wanderers Test. But a five-Test series has other challenges too. For example, it is important to remain fresh throughout the series. The start is always important but carrying that momentum till the very end is equally crucial. The mind should not get tired. That's the key,” Rahane observed.

As a whole, Rahane narrowed it down to fitness being a paramount factor for him and all other professional athletes must have the ability to push themselves beyond the usual.

“For the amount of cricket we play throughout the year, training sessions are vital. It's part of your life - you eat, drink, sleep, play, train. You can skip a practice session on an odd day but a training session is what you just can't miss. The trick is to understand your body and in turn, it's about enjoying and having fun. Just the other day I did my yoyo and I was pretty happy with myself. But the challenge is in maintaining that and raising the bar,” he signed off.