Ajinkya Rahane shares emotional childhood story behind his cricket success, says ‘I’ll play for my parents…

Veteran India batter Ajinkya Rahane has revealed how a childhood experience during his early cricketing days became the defining moment behind his motivation to succeed, sharing that his father’s quiet sacrifice instilled in him the determination to play for his family.

Ajinkya Rahane recalls travelling alone to cricket practice at seven

Reflecting on his journey from a seven-year-old commuting to cricket practice in Mumbai to representing India at the highest level, Rahane recounted the incident in which his father gradually encouraged him to become independent, only for him to discover years later that he had never truly been alone.

“When I was at the age of seven, I was travelling by local train. On the first day, my father came and dropped me. He had to take leave from his office and he didn’t get paid at that time. The second day, he said, ‘You will have to travel alone by local train.’ I was just seven. At the age of seven, travelling with my own kit bag, the packed local train in the early hours in Mumbai,” Rahane said on BBC Sport.

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Father’s silent sacrifice changed Rahane’s life

Rahane said the full story emerged only years later, long after he had settled into the routine of travelling on his own.

“And he didn’t tell me that… after probably five or six years down the line, he told me on that day he was following me from another compartment just to see if I reached the railway station okay or not,” he stated.

Rahane reveals the moment that inspired his cricket journey

The revelation, Rahane admitted, had a profound impact on him and reshaped the purpose behind his cricketing ambitions as he said that moment of realisation stayed with him throughout his career, serving as the motivation that drove him every time he stepped onto the field, whether in domestic cricket or while representing India.

“And that actually hit me hard. That’s the time I decided, whatever I do from here on, whether I play for my state or my country, I’ll do it for my parents and that motivation, that inspiration, always kept me going,” the Mumbai batter said.

With IANS Inputs