The 34-year-old benefited from the absence of injured Shreyas Iyer and lack of other options in the middle-order. His experience of playing in England, good domestic season and excellent form in the IPL 2023 also worked in his favour.
The Mumbai cricketer has reacted to his return to the Indian squad by penning down an emotional and inspirational post on business and employment-focused LinkedIn. In the post Rahane has talked about realising that things don’t always go as per plan.
To tackle the uncalled situations and problems, Rahane has talked about the importance of sticking to the “process”. The right-hand batter is currently part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2023. Notably, “process” is the word stressed upon by CSK captain MS Dhoni for a long time.
Dhoni kept on talking about ‘following the process’ through the entirety of CSK’s IPL 2020 campaign where they finished second from the bottom. The team bounced back to win their fourth title in the following season.
Rahane has also always been a low-key, cool and calm cricketer like Dhoni and the LinkedIn post also reflected it. The fact that Rahane got the recall while in his debut season under Dhoni is a story in itself.
“In my career as a professional cricketer, I have realized that the journey is not always smooth sailing. There are moments when things don’t go as planned, and it becomes tempting to get bogged down by the result.
However, I have learned that it is essential to stick to the process and not let the outcome affect our focus,” Rahane wrote. “As I look back on my career, I realize that the moments when I stuck to the process, despite the unfavourable result, were the ones that taught me the most.
“These are the moments that helped me grow as a person and as a cricketer. I realized that the times when I let the result dictate my approach were not my finest moments.
“Sticking to the process is not only essential in cricket but in any field that demands excellence. It helps us focus on the things that we can control and take ownership of our actions.
When we focus on the process, we don’t get overwhelmed by the outcome, and it keeps us motivated to keep working towards our goals.
“As someone who has been in the spotlight for several years, I know that the expectations can be overwhelming. However, I have learned to not let the pressure get to me and focus on the things that I can control.
It is the same advice that I would give to anyone who is looking to advance in their field. So, let us all focus on the process and trust in our abilities. The results will follow, but until then, let us keep working hard and keep pushing ourselves towards excellence,” he added.
The cricketer had fought against all odds during India’s 2020-21 campaign as he led India to a sensational 2-1 victory. His cracking hundred at the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne turned the entire course of the high-voltage series in which India lost many of their key players to injuries.
The team will be expecting a similar performance from the experienced campaigner as India look to win their first major ICC tournament after Champions Trophy 2013.
