Dhoni urged me to be myself on the pitch, says Rahane
courtesy
|| CF DESK ||
Buttler leads Gujarat to IPL win over Bengaluru
7 hrs ago
Chennai Super Kings batter Ajinkya Rahane revealed that captain MS Dhoni encouraged him to be himself after hitting a 27-ball 61 to guide CSK to a seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians.
Rahane’s last season in the Kolkata Knight Riders was not really appreciable, he played only seven games for the franchise. However, he was purchased by Super Kings for INR 50 lakh at the auction and he said that captain MS Dhoni had pushed him to be himself.
"Mahi bhai [Dhoni] was there and the instructions from him were pretty simple: back your game, play to your strengths rather than trying to do something else. It's all about knowing your game and, when you get an opportunity, just back that game,”
"Mahi bhai's instruction was completely clear, just play with intent, back yourself, don't change anything else. If your intent is good, I have the shots that I can play at any ground so it was all about keeping it simple for me. I'm happy to bat anywhere. It's all about your mindset and what you want to do for your team," he added.
Noor, Rachin lead CSK to victory over MI in high-voltage match
23 Mar 25
After Devon Conway was bowled by Jason Behrendorff in the first over of the Super Kings' run chase, Rahane entered the game at No. 3. He and Ruturaj Gaikwad were the more aggressive pair, and Rahane scored 23 runs off one over from Arshad Khan, the fourth of the innings, to help his new team surpass the required rate.
"When we were bowling, we got the idea of how the wicket was playing and how the ball was behaving," Rahane said.
"Every player is different. I don't want to be someone else; I just want to be Ajinkya Rahane. The way I know how I play, my strengths, my timing. I just want to back myself. I've never tried to be someone else. It's all about trying to remind myself that if I can just be Ajinkya Rahane and play like Ajinkya Rahane, I think I'll be fine,” he added.
