Rahane Wants To Make Comeback Into Indian ODI Team, Ready To Bat At Any Position

Dubbed as more of a test specialist, Ajinkya Rahane, has expressed his desire to make a comeback into the limited overs set up and is willing to to bat at any position.

Photo: KKR (Twitter)

Ajinkya Rahane has cemented his place as one of India's most dependable midlde order batsman but is still to guarantee his spot in the limited overs format amid growing competition in the ODI set up from batsmen like KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey. Dubbed as more of a test specialist, Ajinkya Rahane,  has expressed his desire to make a comeback into the limited overs set up and is willing to to bat at any position. Rahane had last donned the Blue Jersey For 'Men In Blue' almost two years back against South Africa in 2018. He was seen as a front-runner for the No.4 spot in the build up to the 2019 ICC World Cup along with Ambati Rayadu but lost his spot in the team as KL Rahul got a look in . "I have always enjoyed opening the batting, but I do not mind playing at number four if the opportunity presents itself. I have performed well in both the roles," Rahane told Deep Das Gupta in a videocast hosted by ESPNCricinfo. "I am ready to bat at any position in ODIs, be it opening the batting or playing at number four. I want to make a comeback in ODI cricket, I do not know when the opportunity will come, but I am preparing myself to play all formats," he said. Rahane has a pretty decent record in the 90 ODIs he has played for India, managing to score 2,962 runs at an average of 35.26. The batsman also explained his batting approach in T20 cricket and he agreed that he relies on the traditional style of batting rather than big-hitting. "I do not try to copy anyone in T20 cricket. The shots I play are inside out, behind the bowler and there are some other shots as well that I have developed. I think if you are sure about your shots, then you should back them," Rahane said. "I always plan to keep my strike rate around 150-160 if I am playing 18 balls inside six overs. After those six overs, it is important to break down your innings in T20 cricket," he added.