India’s vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is having a splendid Caribbean tour. After warming the bench throughout the Champions Trophy, Rahane was finally given the opener’s slot in the tour of West Indies. He replaced Rohit Sharma who was rested for the five-match series. So along with Shikhar Dhawan, Rahane has opened the innings for India in the first three one-day games.
And he has made an immediate impact. Rahane has scores of 62, 103 and 72 and is making the most of the opportunities he is getting. He admits that he never lost confidence in his ability despite being out of favour in the shorter formats of the game.
“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,” said Rahane.
Rahane said that when he wasn’t in the playing XI, he was working on his fitness. “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.
However, unlike Sharma, Rahane needs time to shift gears during an innings. However, that has never bothered him. “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.”
With India set for a long tour of Sri Lanka, Sharma is primed to make a return. However, Rahane is not badgered by the thought. “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.
Talking about his splendid innings in the third ODI at Antigua, which India won by 93 runs, Rahane said, “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.”
