Ajinkya Rahane : I will give my 100% at whichever position I bat
Ajinkya Rahane, who opened the innings for India in the ODI series against Windies, has stated that he will give his best whenever called upon to bat in the T20I against the Windies. Rahane has also insisted that he had the experience to bat at number 3, 4, and 5 apart from opening the innings.
Ajinkya Rahane filled in the shoes of Rohit Sharma alongside Shikhar Dhawan in the recently concluded ODI series against West Indies and proved his mettle with innings of 62, 103, 72, 60, and 39 breaking several records in the process. He was also rewarded with the Man of the Series award for his commendable performance.
However, it has been reported that Indian skipper Virat Kohli is all set to take over the opening spot but the Mumbai batsman clarified that the change of his position in the batting lineup isn't going to affect his performance at all.
“See, what is going to happen in the future we don’t know. This series will give me a lot of confidence especially for the ODI and shorter format. If the team management thinks I should bat at No.4 or at No.1 and 2 then I will always be giving my 100 percent on that. I am not sure what is going to happen in the future, but I always like to give my best in ODI and T20 formats. I am looking forward to doing well consistently in ODI format,” Rahane was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
The 29-year old also expressed confidence taking on the number 3, 4 or 5 spot in the batting lineup citing examples of his innings against South Africa in the World Cup.
“I actually batted at No.4. Even at World Cup I batted at No.4, scored against South Africa, so I know how to handle batting at No.3, 4 and 5. It is not a big issue but we’ll have to wait and watch and see what’s going to happen.”
Rahane has not been a regular in the ODI team owing to Rohit Sharma's splendid form in the white-ball format but was given a chance after Rohit was left out to rest. The Mumbai batsman shed light on how important this opportunity was for him after missing out in the Champions Trophy in England.
“This series was really important for me as I got a chance after some time. I didn’t play the ICC Champions Trophy. We came here. Virat told me you are going to play all the games. So actually I was looking forward to that. I didn’t want to put pressure on myself. I just wanted to enjoy myself in the middle. I took my time. When we came here, we had a couple of practice sessions and even in
The 29-year old also added that playing different formats in the game just requires a mental switch more than anything else.
“We play so many formats, it is completely a mental switch. Talking about the wicket and their team, I feel if we focus on our game and on our abilities then I don’t think we need to focus on anything else. Right now, guys are focusing on playing tomorrow. We should see what are the areas we should focus on.”
Chris Gayle will feature in the T20I against India and is known to be the most dangerous batsman in the format. However, Rahane clarified that the team was not overwhelmed by the announcement of Gayle's return and was more focused on their game.
“Chris Gayle is not the only player in the side. They have got 11 players. We are not focusing on Chris Gayle. Our team is important and as I mentioned earlier, we are thinking about our strengths rather than about their strategies, their positives or their teams. Yes, we all respect Chris Gayle, he is a dangerous player. On a given day, he can change the game for their team. Right now, it is important to focus on our game and back our team in the middle.”
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