'I listened to my inner self during time away from team,' reveals Ajinkya Rahane

Indian red-ball vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane revealed that although being snubbed by the selectors for the 2019 World Cup was very hard to take, a bit of soul searching helped him a lot during his time away from the white ball team.

India's merry-go-round for the number four position seems to have stopped for now with Shreyas Iyer making the place his own after some consistent performances, but that was not the case earlier. Rahane was the consistent number four going into the 2015 World Cup and then again made a comeback in the team during India's tour to South Africa in 2018 at number four, where he performed well. But inconsistencies have always plagued his chances and even though he was positive about getting more chances at number four, those chances never arrived and India went into the world cup with an inexperienced middle-order, something that was well exposed by New Zealand.

"At times, we get too caught up in our pursuit of success and then we suddenly realise that we are required to just stop, sit back and introspect. I did exactly that when I wasn't selected for the 2019 World Cup," Rahane told PTI during an exclusive interview.

"I sometimes walked alone in the parks, at times jogged. Sometimes I would simply sit with a cup of coffee thinking about past days, thinking about my younger days, what used to be my mindset when I played club cricket or age group cricket before I made my international debut. I needed some answers and got them," he further added.

Rahane had a county stint with Hampshire and since has been in very good form for the Indian Test team. He believes he is in great mental shape now and is looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead. Being a father has also helped him a lot mentally and he is enjoying every bit of it.

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"I am in a very good mindspace. Whatever happened earlier is gone. Now I have to focus on upcoming things," Rahane asserted.

""It's an incredible feeling. I am enjoying fatherhood. For me, cricket is everything but now even if I am tired after a practice session, it doesn't matter. I just go home and start playing with my daughter. One little smile of her and my tiredness vanishes. That's a special feeling," he revealed.