Rahane Talks About Difficulties He Faced Communicating in English

Ajinkya Rahane talks about his early struggles with the english language.

(Photo: The Quint)

He’s the vice-captain of the Indian cricket team and one of country’s top players right now but Ajinkya Rahane wasn't always the confident star.

While announcing his association with ELSA, an Edu-tech company, Rahane talked about how not being able to speak perfect english came in the way of his communication with overseas players.

‘Communicating with cricketing team-mates is easy, we basically communicate in Hindi or English but the real fun started when I first toured overseas. I went to New Zealand with the Indian Under-19 team in 2006-07 and I was very shy. I was a little scared to communicate in English, about everything. Ordering food, talking to someone else, talking to NZ players,’ said Rahane.

‘Like most cricket-playing youngsters, I missed a lot of classes in school. I was a very good student but as the serious cricket increased, so did the number of classes I missed. This also meant I didn’t get enough practise communicating in English,’ he added talking about his early years where much like other professional athletes, Rahane too had to make a choice between academics and his sport.

(Photo: AP)

‘I also remember my first Man of the Match performance for India, it was in Mohali. The post-match presentation interview was with Harsha Bhogle and that was a different experience for me. That time I decided that slowly slowly I’m going to start speaking in English and communicating in English,’ added the 31-year-old.

In normal circumstances, Rahane would have been currently playing for his new franchise Delhi Capitals in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) but due to coronavirus pandemic, the tournament has been postponed by the BCCI.

For Rahane, the enforced break due to the coronavirus pandemic is like a blessing in disguise as according to his own admission, he is spending time with his family which otherwise wouldn't have been possible.

"I believe in having a routine. I wake up and complete my workout before my daughter wakes up. Then I spend time with my family, especially my daughter," he said.