Stage doesn't matter, attitude does: Ajinkya Rahane

The Indian vice-captain is not fretting over his batting slot but is keen to get enough game ahead of India's tour of Australia

For some, the scene changes, circumstances change but the dilemma remains. For Ajinkya Rahane, it's always about his batting order in white ball cricket. Be it ODIs or IPL. The question of being an opener or a middle order always lingers; even when he is the skipper in a domestic tournament like Deodhar Trophy.

“I don’t know where I will bat in the line-up. We’ll sit together and discuss this with our coach. Everyone is doing well in their respective teams. It’s very hard to get the combination right because guys from every domestic team did well there and they are here. We’ll have to sit and decide,” he says with a smile as he walks back from the Feroz Shah Kotla nets after the India C practice session.

There's Ishan Kishan, R Samarth, Abhinav Mukund. And then there's Rahane. What Rahane instead offers comfortably is the method and process in building the innings at the top, and in the middle overs.

“I enjoy playing quickest bowlers as well as slow bowlers. As a batsman, what you have to be mindful of is playing one ball at a time because it just takes one ball to get you out whether someone is bowling really quick or someone is bowling slowly. It’s all about staying in your zone as a batsman and concentrating for the right period of time rather than a longer period of time. That is what is important for a batsman,” he says.

The Indian Test vice-captain has now taken his senior tag seriously and doesn't flinch from helping out youngsters, especially in dealing with the problem of expectations, from within and one from the selectors.  “It’s all about enjoying your game and the way you are playing as an individual in a domestic team. There are certain things you can’t control and that’s something that I always believe in. What you can control is your good attitude on the field, and your dedication on the field and the passion to play cricket. That’s what you can control. That’s the only message I’ll give- just go out there and enjoy your cricket with a passion. Play with a good attitude," he says.

Rahane always likes to lead by example, and prides in his work ethics and reiterates that no international cricketer should take domestic cricket for granted. “After coming from international cricket, you’ve got to have the same attitude and the same intensity when you go on to the field. I always believe that you’re always a student; when you step on to the field, you learn something or the other each and every day. The attitude which I bring in international cricket, I want to continue with that and help my team always because when you help your team you automatically do well. I’m not thinking about individual performances or outcomes; it’s all about playing with a good attitude in domestic cricket and sending a good message. I always believe this is one level below recognition for the Indian national team,” he says

Rahane doesn't want to think too far ahead about the Australia tour. Right now, he is just making the most of getting as much quality game time he can manage, be it white ball or red. "Before our international Test series begins. It’s all about enjoying your cricket", he says after two hours of throwdown hits, and packing up quickly, so that he can grab a bite and watch Karthik and Shreyas handle their teams in the Deodhar opener.