I Am Confident Of Playing The World Cup: Ajinkya Rahane

India Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, on Saturday, said he is confident of making it to the squad for next year’s World Cup.

While Ajinkya Rahane continues to be one of the batting mainstays of the Test team, one cannot deny the fact that he has fallen down the pecking order in ODIs as well as T20Is. The right-handed batsman had got a golden opportunity to seal his place in the ODI team when he was asked to bat at number four earlier this year in South Africa.

He began the series with an impressive 86-ball 79. However, in the subsequent games, he could only manage scores of 11, 8, 8 and 34*.

He then endured a tough season of Indian Premier League. The Rajasthan Royals skipper scored only 370 runs in 15 games. Amidst all this, Ambati Rayudu impressed in the IPL and soon got a recall. He has become India’s latest answer to their number four woes and so far Rayudu has done quite well. With Rayudu performing well, Rahane’s chance of making it to the ODI team looks bleak at the moment.

However, the Mumbai star is confident of making it to India’s quad for the next World Cup.

“I am confident of making a comeback and I am confident of playing the World Cup. That is why I played domestic cricket because it helped me and i am sure I will bounce back,” Rahane said at the Ekamra Sports Literary Festival.

Rahane’s form in Tests has not been consistent either. Earlier this year, he had to warm the bench for two Test in South Africa after a prolonged poor performance. Even in the series in England, he failed to perform as per his reputation. Speaking about the inconsistent run, he said it was important to stay positive during the tough phase.

“Sometimes there is a phase where you score a 20 or a 30 and you feel I can get a big one but your mind goes in the future and things change. It is important to stay in the present and keep mentally strong. A lot of people come to give you sympathy when things don’t work out. But you need to keep such people way and not think of negative things,” Rahane said.

“It hurts when you are not doing well as you want to do well for the team. I was disappointed when dropped in South Africa but I wanted to stay focused and looked at Johannesburg as a great opportunity. And my 48 on that pitch was as good as a century,” he added.