Rahul Dravid told me that he actually learnt a lot playing county cricket, says Ajinkya Rahane
BCCI
Ajinkya Rahane has revealed that he called Rahul Dravid regarding his decision to play county cricket and the latter shared his experience of playing there and how the stint helped him. Rahane has already signed for Hampshire and will be the first Indian player to play for the said county.
Rahane will become the first India player to represent Hampshire and will replace Aiden Markram, who will finish his stint with Hampshire at the end of the Royal London One-Day Cup group stage this week to join South Africa's World Cup squad. He will feature in eight matches throughout May, June and the start of July. This is an exciting opportunity for the Indian Test vice-captain, and now he revealed that he actually took the suggestion from Rahul Dravid, who during his time at Kent had moulded his cricket for better.
"I had a phone conversation with Rahul Bhai (Rahul Dravid) and he told me that he actually learnt a lot playing county cricket. It's a completely new experience,” Rahane said on the sidelines of CEAT Cricket Rating Awards.
"I had played a couple of Test series over there in 2014 and last summer, so I know English conditions pretty well. But in the county you get to learn so many things from your teammates, the culture is different and as an overseas player there will be responsibility. So, it's all about being positive," he said.
After the conclusion of ICC Cricket World Cup, India will travel to the Windies for the start of ICC Test Championship and in all probability, Rahane will make it to the team for the series. However, a lot will depend on his form in England, and Rahane is positive about it.
"I am now looking forward to changing to red ball cricket from white ball because after that we are going to West Indies for Test series. So my focus is on playing good cricket and staying positive," Rahane added.
