London, June 4 (Agency) Ajinkya Rahane is in supreme form, of course, but ask him about the challenges batsmen face in English conditions, he admits the form does not count, but staying in the moment makes the cut. “Playing in England, I always feel you have to see the conditions well. Generally, we always look at the wicket, but in England you have to look upstairs (skies). If it is cloudy, it is favourable for bowlers. If it is sunny, it will get better to bat on. You have to be in the moment, and to play to the conditions very well,” he told BCCI TV. So, preparations help a lot as a cricketer and batsman in England, Rahane said. “But once the batsmen is in the middle, it is all about backing their instincts and the game plan they have. Obviously, preparations help a lot as a cricketer, as a batsman in England. And once you are in the middle, it is all about backing your instincts and backing your game plan. That matters a lot,” he said. On making India comeback after a gap of two years, Rahane said it was his diligence to play for the national team, and credited his family members to stand steadfast behind him.
“It was an emotional moment for me. When I got dropped the support from my family was massive. The dream was still to play for India and that’s what I told my family,” he said. Rahane also said that he really worked hard and went back to play domestic cricket and exceled, and when the national call came, he became emotional. “I worked hard on fitness, my game plan and everything. Went back to domestic cricket, had a very good domestic season for Mumbai. And when I got a call the moment was really emotional for me and for my family as they backed me a lot, they supported me a lot to go through that period, two years,” he reiterated. The Mumbai captain had a good Ranji season in 2022-23, where he had 634 runs from 11 innings under his belt. He was also too good in the IPL.