He has played under the leadership of both Shane Warne and Rahul Dravid but according to Ajinkya Rahane, the style of captaincy of the two legends is as different as chalk and cheese.
"They (Warne and Dravid) are both legends but are entirely different captains. Rahul bhai likes to keep things simple while leading the side, but Warne was always game about trying various new things. It was not as if he expected it will always work but he tried to experiment," the talented Rahane told a select gathering during an interaction at the team hotel here today.
So what are the things that he has learnt from the duo "off-the-field", the soft-spoken lad smiled and answered,"I would rather talk about the on-field part. Personally, speaking, I have learnt a lot from Shane (Warne). But both Rahul bhai and Shane have been equally approachable."
Interestingly, it was Warne who started calling him 'Jinks' -- a nickname by which he is known in the Indian dressing room.
"I guess he (Warne) found my name Ajinkya too tough to pronounce. So he made it Jinks. But Rahul bhai often calls me Ajju (a name he is referred to in the Mumbai cricketing circle)."
For 'Jinks' and his team Rajasthan Royals, the Feroz Shah Kotla ground has been a 'jinxed' one as they have never won a match and Rahane in particular had a forgettable Test debut.
"I don't look back at the past and try to live in the present. Obviously, I don't want to repeat the mistakes that I I had made earlier. The game against Delhi last year was disappointing as we lost by just one run. We have learnt from our past mistakes and are ready to start from scratch," he said.
