Don’t run after Team India selection: When Rahul Dravid motivated Ajinka Rahane

Former Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid had once calmed down anxious Ajinkya Rahane when he was waiting to get selected in the Indian team, the India Test vice-captain recalled in an interview.

Rahane, who is currently in England and preparing to play the first-ever World Test Championships finals against New Zealand starting June 18, recalled his interaction with Dravid during a Duleep Trophy final in 2008-09 and said that the latter’s advice had ‘motivated’ and ‘inspired’ him. 

“I remember in a Duleep Trophy final, we were playing against South Zone in 2008-09 and Rahul Dravid was playing in it in Chennai. I got runs in that game – 165 and 98. Rahul bhai called me up after the game and said, I’ve read about you a lot, you are scoring a lot of runs,” Rahane told former India wicketkeeper-batsman Deep Dasgupta during an interview with ESPNCricinfo. 

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Dravid further told Rahane, “As a player, it is very natural that you will start expecting an India call-up. All I would tell you is to keep on doing what you’ve been doing.” 

“You keep focussing on that and India call-up will come automatically. Don’t run after it, it will follow you,” Dravid told Rahane, the latter said, and added that the “advice from someone like Rahul bhai really motivated me a lot. That inspired me a lot. “

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Rahane explained how he was anxious after not getting called up for India after scoring heaps of runs in first-class cricket. The 33-year-old made his debut in ODI in 2011. 

“I got another thousand runs next seasons and two years after that, I was selected.”