Excerpts:

Has Gautam Gambhir’s stepping down as a DD captain left you surprised?

ALSO READ:

Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians in a thriller

Are skippers under pressure to perform?

Would you say Steve Smith was under pressure too during the ball-tampering incident?

As you know Smith personally, how did you feel when you heard about the ball-tampering thing?

You did struggle during the early part of your career…

And then, the comparison with Rahul Dravid...

Royals mentor Shane Warne called RR’s performance against CSK terrible, but backed you to bounce back. How important is a mentor/coach’s role?

So calling it a terrible performance was keying you all up…

Is Virat Kohli as much aggressive off the field as he is on it?

Till now Royals have three wins and three losses. Are you happy with that?

The transfer window will open after your next game (against SRH) on Sunday. Anyone on your wishlist?

Your wins are narrow but defeats big. Is that a thing to worry?

Another area to improve would be the fielding?

You have tried various opening combinations so far. Shouldn’t you have settled down on one by now?

Have you ever been at the receiving end of a dressing room prank?

Players are known to be superstitious? Is there anything that you do before going out to bat or even to the field?

JAIPUR: Gautam Gambhir ’s sudden resignation as Delhi Daredevils captain might have surprised Ajinkya Rahane , but the Rajasthan Royals skipper respects the decision. “Gautam took the responsibility for the team not performing,” he says. Rahane also feels for Steve Smith, currently undergoing a one-year ban for his role in the ball-tampering incident. “If you are not allowed to do something that you love, you can very well imagine how it feels,” he says. However, the two are experienced enough to withstand stress and the Team India Test vice-captain does not think their actions were a result of any pressure from outside.The Times of India Jaipur edition’s Guest Editor for Thursday, Rahane, during a visit to the TOI office in the Pink City, shared his views on a wide range of topics, including Shane Warne ’s methods at motiving the players, Sachin Tendulkar ’s inspiring words, Virat Kohli ’s aggression and the expectations that a cricket captain has to live up to.It’s not the captain’s fault when the team fails to perform. Sometimes certain combinations don’t work. It doesn’t always work out the way you plan. I don’t think it’s any of his fault how things play out. I’m sure when he took up Delhi’s captaincy he had the same purpose that all of us have, to make sure the team wins. I know him well and I’ve seen him play for India for so long. He’s a passionate player and a good captain, but there are always some ups and downs that we all have to face as a player and leader. But from what I know of Gautam, his attitude on the field is really great. He has taken responsibility for the team not performing and that is really commendable.Definitely, not only the captain, but all the players have to deal with pressure. But being a captain is definitely a bigger responsibility. Especially as an IPL team captain because there are players from all over and they have different cultural backgrounds. So you need to deal with bringing out the best in each of them while understanding their cultural background. You can’t handle every player with the same approach. Each player is motivated by different things. So as a captain it is very important to understand that. Definitely there is a pressure but I always try to take it positively.What’s done is done, we can’t control these things. Smith is a quality and an experienced player. Definitely I respect Steve Smith and we miss him at RR but I always feel that cricket is a team sport and every player is equally important. Gautam and Smith are both very experienced and can withstand any kind of stress. I don’t think they acted under pressure from anyone.At that time I was playing and heard about it later. Obviously I felt pretty bad. The ICC and Cricket Australia (CA) took whatever action they had to take and I cannot comment on it. But yes, it does feel bad. If you are not allowed to do something that you love for a year, you can very well imagine how it feels.There were challenges but since my childhood I always felt that you can either go up or go down, there is no middle path. So, you have to choose your path. What motivated me was when I used to travel in the Mumbai local trains for four hours every day just to play cricket. I grew up watching Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid and playing alongside them was mesmerizing for me. But whenever I play my focus and attitude are always same, whether I am playing for my club, my state or my country. Sachin in his last Test told me that 'your attitude is your greatest strength'. He said that he has been watching me since my initial days and many people have skills but this attitude is rare which keeps one motivated in all situations.It is nice to be compared with Rahul Dravid, but I don’t think that would be right. I haven’t achieved anything close to what Dravid has done. Some people do say I have certain mannerisms like Dravid and sometimes I stand and walk like him. Although that is a great compliment, but I don’t think comparing would be fair.I think a coach’s role is very important but not necessarily it has to be related to cricketing skills only. Warne is our mentor and sometimes motivating players is as much important as teaching about the game. For four seasons he was the captain so he knows the Royals’ culture and how to motivate the players. He’s a different character all together, and I’ve played under him so I know how he motivates a player. If somebody is feeling down, he knows how to boost him up. I got to learn a lot from him. I believe the kind of cricketing brain that he has is very rare and not many have that.Yes, I mean there are different ways of motivating the team. Sometimes you need to criticise in order to motivate the team because you feel bad when you lose and the mentor knows that you have the capacity to do better. That’s why we are sometimes criticised which helps us perform better. It’s important to understand that sometimes you have to criticise and other times you have to praise the team to motivate them.No, he is not that aggressive off the field. But I think aggression is good for Virat as he can perform well due to that. Everyone has his own character and some players keep calm and perform well while some show aggression. So, it is better that you should stick to your character.Definitely I’m happy with the performance. The way we have played... it can certainly be improved but this is just the start of the tournament. We are getting the combination we require. It’s important to give your best in every game. T20 is all about that. It’s important to start afresh, from zero. If you’ve won the last match, you shouldn’t take victory for granted. Similarly, if you’ve lost the match, you can’t let your confidence be affected. In T20, every match is important and you have to give your best. As a captain I feel we are playing some good cricket and yes in certain matches we couldn’t perform that well but I’m confident when the time comes and the important matches approach, then collectively we’ll do good.The management will decide. I’ve always felt that you should focus on how to bring out the best in whoever is in your team. This is a new strategy being used in this season of the IPL but we haven’t discussed anything about it yet. I’ve always believed that as a player, and now as a captain, it’s important that you know how to use the resources at your disposal and how to boost the confidence of the players that you have. Sometimes it happens that when you swap players, their confidence takes a hit and as a captain I don’t want any player to lose his confidence, even if their performance is not consistent. The confidence level should always be maintained.Not really. I’m not that worried but definitely it’s an area to improve for all of us as a team. Like you said, the losses we’ve suffered were of a greater margin so that’s something to look into as the tough matches are yet to come. We have to learn from our mistakes and move forward, even from the matches that we have won. I’ve always seen that you need to maintain the same level, whether you win or lose. When the fluctuations start in your confidence level then the problems start. When your team is balanced in the face of both wins and losses, it means you’re on the right track. But yes, definitely it’s a learning curve for all of us and it’s an area to improve.If you look at the tournament so far, so many catches have been missed. On that aspect, I think every player needs to improve. Batting and bowling will not guarantee you complete success because both these things are not totally in your control. But fielding is something that you completely control. With a good catch, a good run out you can help your team win. Batting and bowling... you need to prepare a lot for improving your skills but success based on that is not in your hands or in your control. But yes, our fielding needs to improve, we still need to give our best on the field and we all are practising. But see, it is a part and parcel of the game and as long as your attitude is right, as long as your intent is right on the field, there is nothing much to be worried. I’ve learned that anticipation is very important as a fielder. I think our intent and attitude on the field is very good. I agree that we are unable to execute properly or take good catches but that’s fine and I think we should be learning from this. I’m not too worried and I’m confident about my boys because all the players that we have are good fielders.You have to first look at the opponents’ strategy and their attack. Sometimes a certain combination works well and you tend to stick to that but sometimes in order to tackle the different strategies of the opponents you need to make two or three changes to maintain the right balance. Because IPL is all about that and a player is expected to play four overs, you have to see which is the best period for a particular player. This is not just my call, we all decide what works best for the team. We discuss this with the coaching staff, Shane Warne and one or two other guys from the team. If the combination works then nobody says anything but when it doesn’t you have to see which player can play up to their best capability under what circumstance. It takes a little time to understand if the combination is working or not, it may look different from an outside perspective but when the team sits down to think, we all have the same purpose, which is to bring out the best in each player and work out a strategy that is best for the team as a whole.Yes, there are lot of pranks that we indulge in because it is important to have a laugh together. However, we make sure that if a prank is being played on someone, he doesn’t feel offended, but rather enjoys it. And team bonding also improves with these jokes and laughter.Earlier I used to have some superstitions but then I realised that it is all in your mind. It doesn’t matter if you wear your right pad first or the left one, you’ll still make as many runs as you are destined to. I have a routine and stick to it but I don’t follow any superstitions. My performance will depend on my hard work and my mind has been clearer since I’ve stopped believing in these.