I am ready to bat at any position, says Ajinkya Rahane

Melbourne, Feb 18: He has taken guard in different positions and came at seven in India's latest World Cup victory against Pakistan but key batsman Ajinkya Rahane does not mind being shuffled in the batting order.

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26-year-old Rahane, who has played 47 ODIs and 14 Tests, said that the batting technique remains the same irrespective of his slot and only flexibility of mind is required to make the adjustment.

"You need to be flexible and I am ready to bat at any number. You need to have an open mind. The technique remains the same irrespective of the number you are batting at. The mind needs to be flexible and positive to be able to bat anywhere," Rahane said.

"If the mind is positive then it automatically adapts to the situation. When I bat at no. 4 or 5 my mind immediately goes to strike rotations and scoring options according to the situations. I always have positive thoughts in my mind and speak to myself about it."

Playing in his first World Cup, Rahane said that he has been working on a range of shots as he aims to make a mark in the showpiece event.

'I want to try different shots'

"I have been working on shot selections. I have been working on shots that I am uncomfortable playing so that I can score even off them if the opposition has a different field placed for me. When you play certain shots, again there are mind games that you play with your opposition. There is risk involved but you need to take them," Rahane told 'bcci.tv'.

"The boundaries here are wider and have a different angle and the inside-out shots work. I want to try different shots and play according to my strengths. If the opposition sets fields then I don't want to play in their hands. Instead I want to look at different scoring areas, thus opening up a range of other shots. You need to have umpteen shot making options to be successful," said Rahane, who has scored 1376 runs with two centuries in ODIs.

PTI