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Former India National Cricket Team captain Ajinkya Rahane has shed light on one piece of advice from Ben Stokes that helped him deal with the off-the-field challenges. He and Ben Stokes played during the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 season for Rising Pune Super Giants. Rahane recently announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, calling an end to his glorious cricketing career.
Ben Stokes also called an end to his career as he retired from international cricket following the third Test against New Zealand a few months back. Stokes was involved in a nightclub controversy and was suspended from the second match and the final game. As he returned as captain, he decided on his retirement.
"I remember Ben Stokes advising me"- Ajinkya Rahane reveals Ben Stokes' masterful advice
While speaking on the Overlap Cricket YouTube channel, Rahane has publicly credited Stokes with giving him valuable career advice during their time together in 2017, specifically regarding how to handle social media pressure during a tournament. This helped him to shut down the online abuse and trolls.
"I delete all the social media apps when the series is on. But no one advises us to, and that's just my own advice to myself. I remember Ben Stokes advising me not to see social media in 2017 when we played together in the IPL. Creating a routine helped me individually deal with this once I am in my room."
"Just things like watching something on Netflix or some other app, reading a book, chatting to family, and ironing my clothes for the next day," Rahane said on the Overlap Cricket YouTube channel.
"I have my team who manage everything"- Ajinkya Rahane on handling social media noise
Ajinkya Rahane also disclosed the fact that he has hired a team that manages his social media account, and Rahane sends the social media team his photos, and if there are any changes to be made, they send it back to the former cricketer, and he corrects it and sends it back.
He also reveals that whenever there is a good performance, there is always an urge to check social media, but he also believes that it is important not to get carried away by the fans' reactions and overwhelming messages.
"I have my team who manage everything. Whatever I've to post, I generally send them the photo, and if there is anything to be approved, they'll send it to me. This really helped me a lot on tours. There is a temptation to log in to these apps when you have done well and see all the comments. But that's just temporary; what people talk about you," he added.
Ajinkya Rahane: An Underrated Captain
Ajinkya Rahane remains one of the most underrated cricketers and captains of all-time. The former batter was part of the two famous Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) wins in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21. In the latter series, he was the captain and guided India to a famous series win.
India were outplayed by the Australia National Cricket Team in the first game after their regular captain, Virat Kohli, left the team, and some young cricketers were also ruled out due to injuries in the series. Down under, Rahane created history by beating a full-strength Australia team in the 2020-21 series.
