01 June,2016 08:40 AM IST | | Subodh Mayure
Ajinkya Rahane wants India's young guns to make maximum use of the opportunity of playing under Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the upcoming Zimbabwe tour
India's Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, who is not in the tour party for the forthcoming limited overs tour to Zimbabwe, has some advice for the young Indian team: Pick up the maximum tips from Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Ajinkya Rahane
The national selectors last week picked an inexperienced team for the African nation tour. "I think it's a good opportunity for the newcomers to play under the experienced Dhoni in Zimbabwe. It will be beneficial for them because they can learn some tricks of the game while playing under him," Rahane said.
Dhoni leads India only in limited overs cricket while Virat Kohli handles the Test team. "I always enjoyed playing under him (Dhoni), be it in the Indian team or for Rising Pune Supergiants in the Indian Premier League. My nature is quite similar to his. I too, try to be cool and composed and I think this helps me to think better and do things in a better way," Rahane told mid-day on the sidelines of the Ceat cricket awards on Monday.
MS Dhoni
Rahane, who led the Indian team in Zimbabwe last year, gained a lot from that tour. "I learnt a lot from my teammates and from the opposition in Zimbabwe. I will also use this experience while taking on the responsibility of being vice-captain in the West Indies. Since I am not going to Zimbabwe, I will spend time working to improve my fitness levels," said 27-year-old Rahane.
Impressive stats
The Mumbai middle-order batsman, who has scored 1619 runs with six hundreds in 22 Tests can't wait to land in the West Indies. "I toured there three to four years ago with the India 'A' team. I have heard that there is a lot of pace and bounce in Barbados and Jamaica so it is important to get there as early as possible to adjust to the conditions," he said.
