Before the ODI series commenced, Ajinkya Rahane’s batting position in the side had been a topic of discussion but he stamped his authority on the number four spot with a patient and calculative 79 in the opening ODI, which India won by six-wickets. Ahead of the 2nd ODI, Rahane said that he is more equipped to bat at number four as he knows how to build his innings from that spot.
“I am better equipped for batting at number four, I am more matured now. I know how to build my innings at number four,” Rahane said ahead of the second ODI.
In last few months, team management has experimented with KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Dinesh Karthik at number four with mixed results.
“Batting at number four is different. The confidence came from last Test win at Johannesburg, where I scored 48 runs. But I was actually determined to do well at that slot because I have batted at that position during the 2015 World Cup (in Australia and New Zealand),” Rahane added.
