COVID-19: Lockdown sees Ajinkiya Rahane going back to his old sport karate
India’s Test vice-captain is a black belt holder in martial arts
Dubai: The lockdown in India due to coronavirus outbreak has seen the Indian cricket stars engage in a lot of me-time on social media: be it skipper Virat Kohli having a haircut from actor wife Anushka Sharma, Rohit Sharma engaging in some household work or the pace ace Jasprit Bumrah watering his mother’s potted plants.
Ajinkya Rahane, India’s Test vice-captain, has added something out-of-the-box to his routine by going back to another favourite sport of his - karate. “I have started practising karate again. I have a black belt in karate and because of this lockdown, I am practising karate again. I try that at least 3-4 times a week, I practise karate. The rest of the day goes with Arya (daughter). When she wakes up either of us has to be with her and generally that is me only. Radhika does the rest of the house work in that time.”
Speaking in video message on Indian cricket board’s official twitter handle, Rahane said that among other things, he makes time to work out and help his wife Radhika in the household chores while most of the day goes in taking care of his daughter Arya.
“In the morning before Arya wakes up, I do my workout, about 30-45 mins,” he said.
One of the positives of the lockdown, according to Rahane, is that he has been able to spend more time with his daughter. “Otherwise we are travelling all the time so I am pretty happy now that I am able to play with her and spend time with her. And when Arya goes to sleep I help out Radhika whether it be in cooking or cleaning.
“I am getting a lot of cooking tips from Radhika. Whenever I get time from all this, I like listening to music, reading books, so I take out time for that. Right now, I am reading Swami Parthasarthy’s The Holocaust of Attachment. So my days go by pretty quickly because of all this,” said Rahane.
Rahane last played for India in their Test series in New Zealand. He had shifted to Delhi Capitals from Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but the 2020 season is in limbo now because of the pandemic.