Ajinkya Rahane : Never doubted my limited-overs cricketing skills

Ajinkya Rahane has been in impeccable form since his return to the Indian ODI side and has provided the Men in Blue with solid starts at the top of the innings in the three ODIs that they have played against the West Indies so far. Yesterday, Rahane once again steadied the Indian innings after Shikhar Dhawan departed early weaving partnerships of 66 and 70 with Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni respectively while bringing up his third consecutive half-century in the tournament.

Rahane thanked Indian skipper Virat Kohli for providing the opportunity while clarifying that he never doubted his abilities during the time he was away from the white-ball format.

"It was a matter of getting good runs and getting it consistently, I was waiting for this chance. I want to thank Virat (Kohli) and team management as they gave me an opportunity to bat at top of the order," Rahane told the media at the post-match press conference.

The 29-year old is known for taking his time at the start of the innings and occasionally faces a problem in shifting gears but the Mumbai player is convinced that he can accelerate the innings at his will.

 "I know I took some time (on 72 off 112 balls) but if I stay there, I can make it count. I don't take things for granted. I can make up (for slow starts). I can read game situations and play accordingly," he added.

The future of the 29-year-old is still unclear as Rohit Sharma is expected to replace him at the top of the order for the Sri Lanka series. However, Rahane is not weary of the fact and wants to focus on the present.

"I believe, it's a team sport and I have to give my hundred per cent wherever team management asks me to bat. Whether it's top or middle, I always want to do well. In future, I don't know what will happen but now I really want to focus on each match and series, here," he said.

Rahane then gave a breakdown of how he went about his innings in the 3rd ODI where the pitch was dry and troubling the batsman with invariable bounce.

"I am an instinctive player but at the highest level, you have to adapt. This wicket (Antigua) was completely different to Trinidad and the ball is stopping and there was uneven bounce on the wicket. We had to take our time.

"When myself and Mahi bhai (Dhoni) and before that Yuvi paaji (Yuvraj) were batting, we decided on a total of around 225-230. This was not like Port of Spain where you could play your shots," said Rahane.

The 29-year old revealed that while he was away from ODI cricket he focused on his fitness which is helping him in the ongoing series against the Windies.

"I worked on my batting as well as fitness. We have been playing non-stop cricket till IPL. You don't get time to work separately on your fitness. The time I got in England helped me work on my batting as well as fitness. It is helping me in these hot conditions," he said.