I know how capable I am: Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane is looking forward to the given captaincy role

Ajinkya Rahane has spoken out for the first time after being declared as the captain of Indian cricket team for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour. He said is very confident to handle this new responsibility.

Rahane was benched after the first One Day International (ODI) match against recently concluded Bangladesh series. On which, captain MS Dhoni suggested that Rahane needed to work on certain aspects of his batting and that he has struggled to rotate the strike on slower pitches.

Soon after, when the team for Zimbabwe tour was declared, it came to Rahane’s surprise that he was declared skipper for the tour where rest of the senior players like Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Shikhar Dhawan were rested.

However, Rahane feels that the role of captain has given him the opportunity to improve his batting technique in the limited-overs format. He also said that he has a "great hunger to learn".

"I know how capable I am and I believe in myself. I have learned a lot from whatever cricket I have played in the last four-five years," Rahane told BCCI.

"I wasn't thinking about the captaincy. I didn't know about it. It came as a surprise, but whatever domestic and international cricket I've played gave me confidence. I am a very hardworking guy. I always want to be the best in the world and I know my capabilities."

In ODIs, Rahane has played 55 matches for India and scored 1593 at an average of 30.63. His highest score being 111. He has also represented India in 11 T20 games, scoring 236 runs at an average of 21.45.

RAHANE CREDITS DRAVID, DHONI, AND KOHLI

The right-handed batsman said that he had picked up a "lot of ideas" under the captaincy of M.S. Dhoni and Virat Kohli in Indian team, and Rahul Dravid in the IPL. He added saying he learned a lot from Dhoni’s calm attitude, Kohli’s controlled aggression and Dravid’s mantra of keeping things simple.

"Under Dhoni bhai, I have learnt a lot from his calmness and the way he handles everything on the field. Virat's controlled aggression, which you can see in his batting and captaincy, is something I want to learn from him.

"Rahul (Dravid) bhai likes to keep things really simple and I was with him in Rajasthan Royals. I have my own ideas and I know what I have to do on the field. Obviously the senior players who will be there with me will advise me. The three things I have learned from those three captains are calmness, controlled aggression, and keeping things simple.”

He believes that one needs to think from all angles and react.

"This has always been a part of me and I never spoke to Rahul bhai about captaincy in particular, but he spoke about how he would plan things as a captain. I've also observed Dhoni bhai closely, how he would plan, how his mindset would be. As a captain, you need to think from different angles according to the situation which is very important."

RAHANE ON THE ZIMBABWE TOUR

While talking about the upcoming tour against Zimbabwe, Rahane stated that he has taken every international side seriously, without any reference to their ranking. He said he has full faith in the announced squad he will be leading.

"As a captain, it's important to back your players and give them confidence. It is very important to lead from the front, be positive and back your team. Whatever international side we play, we take them seriously. My motive would be to give all youngsters confidence; guys who came back, speak with them, give them confidence and motivate them.”

The Mumbaikar expressed his excitement in leading the team and said he looks forward to joining them.

"I think this is a good team. Guys who did well in the IPL and domestic season have got their rewards. Every player played their part, and I'm really excited. They are great teammates and I am looking forward to joining them."

India is scheduled to play three ODIs and two T20 matches against the Zimbabwe team in the series starting from July 10.