INDIA TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA, 2018

Rahane goes back to old values

by Kaushik Rangarajan • Last updated on

Ajinkya Rahane in a bid to regain his old touch, revisited the old values under the watchful eyes of his mentor Pravin Amre. © AFP

Two days out from the first 'Test' in Cape Town, something strange happened. India seemed in some sort of a hurry. When otherwise they would have overindulged in a perfunctory game of football, they kept their warm-ups down to the mere essentials and lined up quickly for more match-centric practice. Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan took first strike near the centre wicket against the pacers. Upon finishing a rigorous 20-minute pace examination, each batsman marched towards the back of the stadium complex, where batting coach Sanjay Bangar and throwdown expert Raghavindraa waited for a second session.

Snapping what looked like India's batting order at Newlands, Rohit Sharma fronted up to the fast men immediately after Virat Kohli and then joined his captain to face throwdowns in the nets. Four tennis balls placed on the side of the wickets at four and five-metre lengths, created an imaginary guiding box. Anything fuller was to be driven. Anything shorter could be left on the bounce. India were being very specific about what they wanted to practice, having cancelled a practice match.

Ajinkya Rahane, who lost his No.5 spot to Rohit in the training order, took a vantage spot at the other end of the nets for a round of visualisation. He nodded as Virat Kohli drove confidently. His expression changed to a dead pan when a bouncer reared up and left the Indian captain in a tangle; Kohli's spikes got caught on the crease and curbed the swivel. Raghavindraa seemed concerned and walked up to check on Kohli's well-being. "Great ball, tu bindaas bouncer daal," Kohli waved him off ala Adelaide 2014.

Rahane obviously knows all about being uncomfortable in South Africa, having copped several blows from Dale Steyn en route his 96 in Durban last time. A few weeks ago, he was put through more discomfort in an obvious attempt at battle-hardening him.

"To score in South Africa, you have to be ready to take blows. Then the runs will come," Pravin Amre, Rahane's mentor and confidante, told Cricbuzz.

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It's been a tetchy build up to the marquee series for the Indian vice-captain, widely considered India's best bet in seaming conditions. Rahane arrives for the New Year's Test after a strangely modest 2017 in which he managed only 554 runs from 11 Tests at an average of 34.62. Undoubtedly, there were crucial contributions on a treacherous Bengaluru surface against Australia and in the slips against spinners through the year, but his output with the bat has paled in comparison to the statistical feats of Kohli (1064 runs at 76) and Pujara (1140 at 67.05).

Against Sri Lanka last month, Rahane managed a grand total of 17 runs from five innings and was clearly rattled. He sought out mentor Amre once more and was duly summoned for a seven-day camp. From Amre's perspective, it wasn't time to hit panic stations but to develop a more holistic approach to rebuilding Rahane's confidence.

"When he scored 100 in each innings against South Africa in Delhi, people congratulated me. Then when he is not scoring runs, it is my job also to see that he comes back," Amre says.

"It has never happened that Ajinkya has come with such low confidence or scores. He's always been very successful on every foreign tour. Maybe because people were talking (it got to him). Mostly we've always prepared him with a 3-4 day camp ahead of tours. This time it was a blessing in disguise that he was not there in T20 squad (for the SL series). After a long time we got seven full days."

So, Amre took Rahane back to his roots - to the maidans of Mumbai. The Purandare ground in Dadar was chosen despite its ordinary pitch for an obvious reason. "Obviously his confidence was low. So we went to public parks, places where he came from. Where there were no sight screens, so you have to watch the ball. That's maidan cricket. The ground, it doesn't have a great wicket. But there he has to focus more. He has to understand that it's not going to be comfortable."

The essence of batting, Amre says, lies in getting the right 'feel'. It's about what positions a batsman takes to middle the ball better. As Rahane began finding his, playing the ball under his eyes, hitting on top of the ball with power and control, he was ready for more sessions. "We then made sure he had two major sessions every day," Amre says. "We used the indoor facilities for all the reaction drills. We started early in the day, took a breakfast break. That was followed by an hour of throwdowns and then an hour against actual bowlers to synchronise what he was practising for match situations," Amre reveals.

The bigger challenge with Rahane was to erase his muscle memory. India made to order a lively track in Kolkata against Sri Lanka and despite playing only Suranga Lakmal at a gentle 130 clicks, appeared all at sea against the moving ball. Having played for a good two years on slow and low tracks at home, and in Sri Lanka and West Indies, batsmen's feet and eyes have been well programmed to react to balls that travel at modest pace and barely ever climbing above their knees. Perhaps, it was going to be as bad as defeating an addiction and it needed time.

"We began with a slight change in back lift. When you play bounce there is less reaction time," Amre says. "Next we began working on what kinds of lines they will bowl. They will come with a seven metre length. I have played professional cricket in South Africa and I know what lengths they bowl there.

"The bounce is more. So where should be the impact point? You need a total different setup compared to playing at India. You have to get into the position early. Get there so you are in the line of the ball. Your hands and feet should move that much faster and when the feet move quicker the hands will not push wide (away from the body).

"We practiced by giving him less reaction time. We had done this before the last time he toured South Africa. I bowled at him from 18 yards with a wet rubber ball. The first few hours were spent only leaving it. The more you leave, the more one survives. Then in another session he played only bouncers. Then we saw all his videos from last time's successful tour, luckily I have all the data. I just needed to show him what he did then."

Ajinkya Rahane went through specific training methods to tune up his batting for the South African challenge. ©Getty

The detailing of Rahane's technical preparation were as specific as the kind of strategy South Africa were bound to apply when a little partnership would build. There's a theory that one of the hosts' quick - perhaps Kagiso Rabada - will go round the wicket with a 5-4 field that includes a short leg, a leg gully and a deep square leg. "We also anticipate kind of bodyline tactics against Ajinkya. Nothing will surprise him there. That's what preparation is all about. Having those long sessions and planning."

Unfortunately in cricket, survival amounts to nothing if there's no scorecard validation at the end of it. In his Durban innings, Rahane scored 59 of his 96 runs square of the wicket, although seven of his 11 boundaries came off the front-foot drive. Amre, who made to that honours board at Kingsmead with a century on debut, believes Rahane's versatility will allow him to not get tied down. "I think scoring areas depend on the player's ability. I got a 100 in 1992 without a single hook or pull. I played 300 balls to get my hundred while waiting to be bowled to my strengths. Ajinkya has more shots than I did. He can cut, pull and drive. There's no point cutting out any shot."

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The camp also allowed Rahane to work on what Amre calls the "1% factor". In a recent interview with ToI, Sachin Tendulkar stressed the importance of a clear mind contributing to better decision making with the footwork. It's a theory Rahane subscribes to. At the end of sessions, the Indian vice-captain sought counsel with Swami Parthasarathy, a philosopher and an exponent of Vedanta, one of the ancient philosophies of India, which equips one with the strength of intellect to meet challenges and live a life of action and peace. An NSG commando head and a customs officer, recipient of the President's medal, were others to work on Rahane's mindset in the past.

"We kept the morale light. I'm also serious person, he is also serious but given the situation we had to make the camp fun oriented," Amre says. "I can only work on the skill side. But apart from skills, the mental aspect is important. I believe fitness, batting skills and mental skills have to be in sync for success. Swami Parthasarthy taught him to wear success and handle failures. It's important to have these values."

Amre, did however, have one recommendation for Rahane on a non-skill topic and that involved wearing a helmet in the dressing room. "One of the things I observed from his last two innings versus Sri Lanka is that he prepares himself from the dressing room. Unfortunately he has to wait as 200-300 partnerships happened (with Kohli scoring double tons). He was exhausted sitting under the helmet because of focussing on each ball so hard.

"So one thing we asked him - it had become a routine to wear the helmet and sit - that once a partnership starts, it's important to be relaxed. He looked tense. I personally felt that he was so exhausted observing deeply. When his time came, his eyes looked exhausted. It's important to know when to relax also. Anything can happen, you can play 2 minutes or you may have to wait for 3-4 hours. I think making that balance. If it's too long, it is harmful. These are small, small corrections.

Rahane has left no stone unturned to reprise the success of 2013-14, when he aggregated 209 runs from two Tests. While it would take an exceptionally bold call to drop Rahane on the basis of a few bad knocks, Rahane knows he may not always have complete indemnity. Rohit Sharma's 'positive' mindset has backers in the Indian team management. And now, he also has the weight of runs behind him.

But India's No.5 has put himself in the best possible frame to succeed, which in Amre's words would ideally have him sharing honours board space in Durban.

"I was disappointed last time when Ajinkya got out on 96 in Durban last year. It is one of those historical grounds. Like Lord's, they keep the honours board. I would have been more happy if Ajinkya got that hundred and had his name next to me. Till now, I'm alone there.

"There's no Durban game this time but hopefully all our practice pays return in one of the three other venues."

So hopes Rahane. So hope India.

© Cricbuzz

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