Mumbai: Indian batsman mainstay Ajinkya Rahane on Friday thanked former captain Rahul Dravid for the encomiums showered on him on Thursday, but insisted he cannot be compared to “The Wall.”
“It is a big compliment coming from Rahul bhai. It gives me motivation and inspiration to do well and work harder. For me the process is important, not the result. Over the last two years I have been doing that,” said Rahane at a promotional event for his IPL team Rajasthan Royals here on Friday.
“I feel that Rahane has been the most successful Indian Test batsman in the last one year. We played four overseas tours in the last one year and his performance was very good in all these four tours,” Dravid said here on Thursday.
“Some players performed in one or two series but Rahane was one player, who performed well in all the four series,” the Rajasthan Royals ‘Mentor’ said of Rahane, who scored Test centuries in New Zealand, England and Australia.
“There is always one wall, and there will always be one. I don’t think I can take his place, but there is only one wall in India and that is Rahul Dravid,” Rahane said on being compared to Dravid for his solidity in batting.
On the Royals’ dip in form after a great start in the IPL, where they are facing a do-or-die situation against title holders Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday at the Brabourne Stadium, Rahane said it was due to the nature of T20 cricket.
“In T20, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. It’s important to play good cricket, and I feel we are doing that really well this year.
“It’s just about one game, if we win this and we’re through. So it’s just about playing good cricket on 16th. Throughout this season everyone has contributed really well and I’m sure everyone will do well on 16th,” he said. “We are not looking for any result. It’s important to give your best on the field, it’s important to follow the process. If we play our best cricket, I’m sure we will qualify,” he added.
“KKR is a balanced team, every player is equally dangerous and important. We are not thinking too much about KKR, we are just looking to back our strengths.
“We focus on our game rather than what other teams are doing. The simpler you keep, the better it is for you. We watched how KKR played. We are prepared well for this, had a good session yesterday too,” he answered when asked about Thursday’s game in which Mumbai Indians defeated KKR by five runs to keep their qualifying hopes alive. (PTI)
