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India and Mumbai batter Ajinkya Rahane has credited Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for unlocking his batting ability in the shortest format, claiming that the franchise gave him the license to express himself, something he believes no other team did.
Rahane, for the longest time, had an ‘anchor’ tag next to his name, but that got shattered in IPL 2023, his first year with CSK, where he struck at a remarkable 172.49 for the top-order.
He’s since been a changed man in the shortest format, with the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy edition being proof of the same. So far in SMAT 2024, Rahane is the highest run-getter with 432 runs, but, more crucially, he’s been striking at 169.41.
"The message from them [CSK] was clear: go out there and play your natural game,” Rahane said after the SMAT semi-final against Baroda, reported ESPNCricinfo.
"It was never about, 'You play an anchor role and others will play around you'. [From] other teams, the message for me was, 'Play till 15-16 overs and others will play around you'. That's why I was playing with a strike rate of 120-130. But the last two years have really helped me a lot in the shorter format."
On the day, Rahane struck a whopping 16 boundaries en route to a sizzling 56-ball 98, but he still played ‘conventional’ cricket for the most part. The 36-year-old revealed how two things are the cornerstones of his reinvented T20 batting: timing and intent.
"I'm not too strong, [and] it's not about power hitting," he said. "For me, it's always about timing the ball. But at the same time, having that intent from ball number one. And it's always about the extension of my defence - all the shots. So I'm just focusing on that.
"[I'm] not trying to play too hard or, trying to play a big shot. It's always about the timing of the ball, and maintaining my shape all the time."
Mumbai will take on Madhya Pradesh in the final of SMAT 2024 on December 15 (Sunday) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Earlier this year, Rahane led Mumbai to their first Irani Cup victory this century. However, it’s Shreyas Iyer who is leading Mumbai in SMAT 2024.
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