Day after being praised by Dravid, Rahane says he can't be compared to former India captain
It's one thing being praised by Rahul Dravid, quite another to be compared to him. And a day after the former India captain and Rajasthan Royals mentor lavished praise on Ajinkya Rahane, the Mumbaikar returned the compliment, saying there can only be one Dravid.
Asked how it felt being compared to the Wall -- as Dravid is fondly called -- after having a great last year in Test cricket, Rahane said, "There is always one wall, and there will always be one. I don't think I can take his place, every individual is different. India mein ek hi deewar hogi, jo hai Rahul Dravid (there is only one wall in India and that is Rahul Dravid)."
Dravid had on Thursday labelled Rahane as the most successful Indian Test batsman in the last one year. "Some players performed in one or two series but Rahane was one player who performed well in all the four series," Dravid had said.
"It is a big compliment coming from Rahul bhai," Rahane said at a promotional event in Mumbai on Friday. "It gives me motivation and inspiration to do well and work harder. For me, the process is important, not the result. I have been doing that from the past two years."
Rahane, who had the Orange Cap on his head until David Warner snatched it away from him, has had a great season with the bat so far, scoring 461 runs. The Royals, however, have stuttered after winning their first five games, and now face the scenario of having to beat the Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai on Saturday to stay in contention for the playoffs. So what went wrong in the mid-season period?
"Nothing," Rahane said. "In T20 sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. It's important to play good cricket, and I feel we are doing that really well this year. It's just about one game, if we win this and we're through. So it's just about playing good cricket on Saturday. Throughout this season, everyone has contributed really well and I'm sure everyone will do well against Kolkata."
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