Ajinkya Rahane's state of mind was poor, says Pravin Amre

After the Durban Test Mahendra Singh Dhoni touched upon what Ajinkya Rahane did when he was part of the Indian squad but rarely got to play in the past couple of years The skipper said he did not sit idle and lsquoworked very hard on his fitness technique and temperamentrsquoRahanersquos batting was one of the saving graces for Dhonirsquos team on a winless tour of South Africa He hit 47 and 15 in the Johannesburg Test and followed it up with a fighting 51 and 96 in the final Test at Durban which the hosts won by 10 wickets He also effected a couple of crucial runoutsAjinkya Rahane in Durban recently PICAFPRahanersquos gritty show against the fiery South African pacemen should make him a certainty in the playing XI in the two Tests against New Zealand later this monthRahanersquos agonyHowever not many know about the agony Rahane went through waiting for his turn to make the XI Ask Rahanersquos personal coach former India batsman Pravin Amre who also had to wait for a long time before making his Test debutldquoIt was a very difficult phase for Rahane The waiting period tests your patience to the core I have also experienced it and it is certainly frustrating for any sportsperson For Rahane the wait was surely longer than me There was a phase when he started doubting his ability to play Test cricketldquoBut we consulted a few professionalshellip did some counselling We had to make him believe that he belongs to the highest level of crickethellip he would succeed in Test cricket We had to ensure he did not loose his confidencerdquo Amre told MiD DAYRahane got his maiden Test callup for the 201112 Australia tour He warmed the bench even as Team India was whitewashed Then came New Zealand and one expected Rahane to make the cut with VVS Laxman retiring just before the seriesThe long waitEngland were next to tour India for a fourTest series But a similar fate awaited Rahane He watched the proceedings from the dressing room even as Yuvraj Singh and Ravindra Jadeja were drafted into the XIAustralia were Indiarsquos next opponent and Rahane was still a passenger in the team He did not find a place for the first three Tests The big day finally arrived for Rahane when he got his Test cap in the fourth and final Test in Delhi in March 2012Rahane was again confined to the bench for the two Tests against the West Indies which was the legendary Sachin Tendulkarrsquos farewell series The recentlyconcluded South Africa tour was the first full series that Rahane got a lookin in the XIAmre who is the only Indian to score a Test century at Kingsmead Durban was disappointed to see Rahane miss his ton by four runs there ldquoIt would have been a pleasure to share my record with someone of Rahanersquos calibre He should have got that hundred It would have been extra specialNonetheless I was very happy with the way he batted on the whole tourrdquo said AmreldquoThis tour has showed he is hungry for success and he belongs to international cricket Critics had doubted his temperament and maturity to play at the highest level and he has proved them wrong The work is still half done He has to get a hundred and keep getting them consistently This SA tour was just a glimpse of the talent he possessesrdquo the former Mumbai coach addedRahane practiced with Amre at the BKC ground a month in advance to prepare for the SA tour ldquoIt was about capitalising on his scoring opportunities You tend to get a bit defensive in South Africa Also it was important to learn playing shots square off the wicketrdquo concluded Amre