India vs Australia 2017: Ajinkya Rahane Opens Up On Competition Between Openers In The ODI Team

The Indian team management will have a tough time when it sits down to decide the opening pair for the next One-Day International series. While Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are more than likely to open the inning when New Zealand visits India for a three-match ODI series later this month, the think tank is bound to have a serious discussion on Ajinkya Rahane.

Rahane has made the most of the opportunity that came his way during the recently-concluded series against Australia. The right-handed batsman, who was the highest run-scorer in the series against West Indies, was asked to open the innings in absence of Dhawan and he replied with four consecutive half-centuries with the latest being the 61-run knock in India’s 7-wicket win over the visitors in the fifth and final ODI on Sunday (October 1).

Speaking after the game, Rahane, when asked about the competition in the team, praised Rohit and Dhawan’s performance and insisted that the trio love the competition in the team.

“I think this wicket wasn’t easy, 240 was a job well done with the ball, but when we batted, the ball was coming really slowly, I enjoyed my knock today. I always want to do my best, Shikhar and Rohit have done well for us, we love the competition,” Rahane said after the win.

“Me and Rohit complement each other, we know our strengths, we wanted to time the ball and get a good opening partnership, that gave us the momentum. We never took them (Australia) lightly, they are a quality team and we need to recognise that. But we were playing at home and we knew these pitches better,”Rahane who shared his third consecutive century-plus stand with Rohit.