I try not to get affected by criticism, says Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane celebrates after scoring a century vs West Indies

India's vice-captain in Tests Ajinkya Rahane, who withstood immense pressure to score match-defining knocks in the first Test against the West Indies, said he made a conscious effort to ignore criticism directed at him for not reaching three figures in the last couple of years.

Coming into the Test series, AjinkyaRahane's form was a subject of widespread debate but he silenced his critics with scores of 81 and 102 in India's 318-run win over the West Indies here on Sunday.

"I try not to get affected by criticism as it is unwanted and I can't control it. You are always happy when you make a hundred," Rahane told fellow Mumbaikar Rohit Sharma in a chat aired on 'bcci.tv'.
"It was satisfying as I had to grind a lot. Needed to put the team in a good position before getting to the hundred," he added.

Ajinkya Rahane was well backed by the Indian team management who persisted with him and did not drop him from the Test team. Also, the selectors did not drop Ajinkya Rahane from the vice-captaincy in the Test team despite Rahane failing to score a century in 29 innings on the trot.

With inputs from PTI

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