I am looking forward to doing well consistently in ODI format: Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane grabbed the Man of the series award for his fantastic performance in the five-match ODI series. He scored loads of runs as India clinched the 50 overs leg of the tour three games to one. Rahane was pivotal in India’s success as he gave much-needed stability to the innings at the top.

He scored one century and three half centuries in the series. In all the little technician scored 336 runs at an average of 67.20. Heading into the Caribbean Rahane had to sit out the whole Champions Trophy as Rohit Sharma was back in the side. The number four spot was also taken by Yuvraj Singh who did well in the first game against Pakistan. There was no place for the Mumbai-lad in the first XI. However, he got an opportunity on this tour, and welcomed it with both hands and has made a strong case for himself to be a regular part of the ODI team.

Ready to bat anywhere

There are some players who prefer a certain position to bat while there others who just want to play no matter where. Ajinkya Rahane falls in the second category. The 29-year-old just wants to play and can bat at the number the team demands.

He has the skill to attack and also to hold the innings together whenever required. “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 Nos.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,” said Ajinkya while talking to the media ahead of the only T20I.

He then said that he doesn’t know what the future has in store for him but he is ready to play anywhere the team management wants him to.

“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 added.

Importance of the series

The right-handed batter said that skipper Virat Kohli assured him he will be in the team no matter what. And that was something he was looking forward to. He did not play much cricket before this series and wanted to prove himself.

“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 and 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 England, I was batting well (in the nets). So I just had to make it count as I mentioned but importantly I wanted to express myself with the bat,” Rahane concluded.