Mumbai, Oct 22: How do I improve? Ajinkya Rahane asked Rahul Dravid during an Indian Premier League match in Rajasthan. The reply from the legendry batsman was simple “You have a very good game, just back yourself and don’t think about anything else. That will take you ahead.”

After that conversation, Rahane has not looked back. The Mumbai batsman has gone from strength to strength since making his debut in England. “Batting with him (Rahul Dravid) has helped a lot. I was with him in Rajasthan Royals and then during the England series. He has guided me a lot from time to time whenever he is with me,” Rahane said while speaking about his hero.

Cricket is a great leveler. The career that started on a fairy note was becoming a subject to discuss because of Rahane’s failure to convert starts into bigger scores. But this time it was captain MS Dhoni who helped Rahane lift his morale reiterating what Dravid had told him earlier.

Speaking about his chat with the skipper, Rahane said: “Before the last game I had spoken to the coach and Mahi bhai. They had told me that you are a talented player and you don’t need to think too much. Just play the way you have been playing/ batting so far, that will only take you ahead.”

Armed with the advice from his captain and coach, the Mumbai lad made his innings at Mohali count and that too, in a winning cause. Speaking about what helped him turn things around in his favour, Rahane said, “[I] had lots of confidence, but since my first two matches didn’t go so well, I was a bit upset. But my effort was to try and not to repeat my mistakes. I had spoken to Mahi bhai [MS Dhoni] and he told me to continue playing my natural game. I knew that once I am set I can play the shots.”

Rahane, who is touted as the heir to the Mumbai’s batting legacy, expressed pride at being part of the World Cup winning side. The young man thanked the team think-tank to stick by him and goad him to play his natural game.

“It is a very big moment, a very proud moment for me. There is responsibility when you are representing your country. Playing at the Wankhede is very special for me and I am looking forward to it,” said Rahane. Expressing disappointment on missing his first ODI century he said, “Obviously, I was disappointed at missing the century, but if you make 90 and your team wins then there is more happiness in it.”

Did having a good year with the bat in domestic cricket as well as the Emerging Players Tournament help him? The batsman answered affirmatively saying, “I played 48 first-class games so that gave me a lot of confidence. Before that, I went for the Emerging Players tournament to Australia , so scoring runs there give you a different kind of confidence – that you have scored runs in another country. It gives you motivation. So, even though I had a [good] performance in domestic cricket played, the experience there had helped me a lot.”

On the mindset of the team after having lost to England earlier and now winning the series, the youngster said, “In England also we played good cricket, but sometimes in cricket things don’t happen the way you want them to. We are following the same routine here and everyone – all the youngsters and the seniors are there for each other, backing each other and enjoying each other’s performance. It’s a good atmosphere.”

Continuing on whether India are looking forward to a 5-0 finish, the opener reiterated what seems to be the team’s mantra, “Right now we are looking forward to tomorrow’s game. We are not looking ahead [at] 5-0. We are looking [at it] one game at a time and [although] we are 3-0 up, we still need to start again from zero.”

Refusing to dwell on the past Rahane further added, “I don’t want to talk about [the ] England series, all the youngsters are doing well. All the seniors and team management are very supportive. They [are] giving us good confidence so we are very happy.”

Opting to remain positive and remain in the present, the 23-year old could not be drawn into discussing about his role once the veterans, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, return to the team. “The two of them are very big players. At the moment, I am not thinking about it. Now, I have two matches in my hand and I will try and give my best performance. Beyond that it is not in my hands.”

On whether he would be part of the forthcoming WI series, “I never speak about selection. Now there are two ODIs and one T20I to be played, so I will try to perform well in them.”

Truly, a player with wisdom beyond his years.