Ajinkya Rahane thanks Sachin Tendulkar for helping him out in nets

Middle order batsman Ajinkya Rahane has had a good time in the middle in the past 6 months following a string of low scores towards the end of the last season. Rahane has established himself in the Test fold, and is also Kohli’s deputy in the longer format, but is far away from proving that he is a sure shot starter in the Indian limited overs sides.

Rahane sizzled in the Caribbean

Even a scintillating performance in the 5-match ODI series in the Caribbean, where he amassed 336 runs at 67.20 which also fetched him the Man of the Series award, failed to get him a permanence in the ODI set up as India went ahead with the Dhawan-Rohit combination at the top of the order in their next ODI assignment in Sri Lanka. Rahane did get a solitary chance in which the right-hander could make just 5 before being dismissed. The competition in the side for places is such that Rahane will have to make the most of the opportunities offered to him.

Sachin helps fellow Mumbaikar

India are bracing for a tough ODI series against a visiting Australian side. While Rahane continues to be a part of the squad, his place in the XI is not confirmed until the team management decides to rest either Dhawan or Rohit. But the true professional that he is, Rahane is sweating it out in the nets in anticipation of getting a game at some stage during the series. He even got the greatest batsman to have played the game – Sachin Tendulkar – to share his views on his technique during a net session. The 29-year old shared a picture of the session on his Twitter account.

Since making his ODI debut in 2011, Rahane has played in 79 games, scoring 2578 runs at 34.37. His strike rate of 78.35 has always been in the scanner as it is a tad bit on the lower side in today’s day and age.

Here’s the reply from Sachin Tendulkar, “It’s always a pleasure to see you perform well for the country. My best wishes for the upcoming series!”