WI v IND | Last game was good, but we want a better result in the second Test, says Ajinkya Rahane

India crushed the hosts at Antigua with a resounding 318-run win, and how the visitors are going to top that is only known to the cricketing gods. However, Rahane feels that the introduction of the points system in the ICC Test Championship demands every team to constantly stay in the present and focus on earning maximum from each match.

“We’re really confident about what we did in the last game, but we have to be in the present. Cricket is a funny game, we cannot take it lightly, especially in the Test Championship where points system is involved. We have to give more than 100% in each game, each session. We are in a good space as a team, and we’re hoping for a better result than Antigua,” Rahane told reporters ahead of the second Test, reported Cricbuzz.

Rahane fully understands that the Windies are not going to just roll over so that the Indians can leave home without a single defeat in the entire tour.

“West Indies is a very good team. They bat deep, their bowling attack is also very good. They did really well against England in the previous series as well. So we’re not going to take them lightly. As a team, we have to focus instead on our strengths and the areas we need to improve on,” he said. 

On a personal level, Rahane will be in a much better frame of mind than when he arrived in the Caribbean. After two barren years, he finally crossed the three-figure mark – his 10th in Tests overall.

“It definitely felt really special. I actually got to know how to get a Test century after two years. I was working really hard on my batting, learning from every practice session and every game. But I wasn’t thinking about my personal milestones. What was important for me was that I had a chance to do something for my team,” Rahane said.

Ahead of the final match of the tour, the captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri have some important calls to make regarding the playing XI. ODI-specialist Rohit Sharma is in a battle for the No.6 spot with Hanuma Vihari, who made a fluent 93 in the second innings of the first Test.

“Young Vihari did really well – in India ‘A’ tours, in the domestic circuit. It’s good to see that a player who has done consistently well at the domestic level do well at the international stage as well. At the same time, Rohit is also a quality player. It is hard to see him miss out, but it is all on the combination that the captain and coach decide on,” Rahane added.