Ajinkya Rahane, the vice-captain of the Indian Test team, has opened up about his desires to make a comeback in ODI cricket, a format he last appeared in 2018 against South Africa.
Rahane is a versatile cricketer who has played both as an opener and middle-order batsman. Despite putting up a decent performance in his last few matches, he was suddenly dropped after the South Africa tour in 2018.
In a recent conversation with Deep Dasgupta on an ESPNcricinfo chat show, the 32-year-old said he is ready to bat at any position in white-ball cricket.
“I am ready to bat at any position in ODI cricket, whether opening or No.4 or whatever, I am ready. My instinct answers yes, I want to make a comeback in ODI cricket.”
“But when the opportunity will come, we don’t know. Mentally I am preparing to play all the formats. It is all about being positive yourself and about your abilities,” said Rahane.
“I have enjoyed opening the innings, but I don’t mind batting at number 4 if I am asked to. I have enjoyed both roles.”
The much-debated No.4 position seems to be settled following a series of inspiring performances from Shreyas Iyer, who has firmly established himself as the rightful inheritor of the vacant throne.
Rahane further talked about the difficulty he faced while transitioning from one batting position to the other. However, he remains confident to do well irrespective of batting position.
“It is very hard to suddenly open the innings and adjust to it after you have been batting at No.4 for a while, which I had done. It is hard to say which position I prefer. I can do well in both,” remarked Rahane.
The Mumbaikar also talked about the valuable advice from Rahul Dravid that improved his batting in T20 cricket.
“Sometimes the shots you play in T20s don’t look good. But Rahul bhai [Rahul Dravid] told me not to bother about what the shots look like, whether it’s bad or looks bad from outside. He said it does not matter. He said in T20 cricket, one needs to watch the ball and hit it,” he concluded.
