SA vs IND 2018: I Am Better Equipped At No. 4, Says Matured Ajinkya Rahane

If there is anything that is hindering India’s plans for the number four spot then it has to be the number four spot in the batting order. The number four position is the link between the top-order and the lower middle-order and the right man needs to occupy it in order to keep the balance of the playing XI intact.

But while India’s top-order has been in red-hot form for quite some time now and the middle-order is taken care of well by the ever-reliable MS Dhoni, the number four spot has given the team-management a big headache. The Indian camp has experimented extensively in the second half of last year but without much success. Going back to the Sri Lankan tour in July-August last year, through the ODI series against Australia and New Zealand, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik were tried at that position but none of them managed to impress.

The latest to enter the number four spot roulette is Ajinkya Rahane who was being seen as the backup opener by the team-management not very long ago. However, it seems the failed experimentation has prompted the team-management to try out Rahane and one can say that the start has been promising.

After being in and out of the team due to the presence of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, he was used at number 4 during the first ODI against South Africa and he made an immediate impact. The right-handed batsman scored 79 in a record 189-run third-wicket stand with Virat Kohli to give India a 1-0 lead in the six-match series, in Durban.

Speaking ahead of the second ODI in Centurion, the 29-year old said he is better suited to bat at number four.

“I am better equipped, I am more mature now, I know how to build my innings at No. 4,” Rahane said on Saturday (February 3). “Yes I enjoy batting at top two positions but when you represent your country and you get a chance to bat at whatever number you just want to give your best for the team.

Well, Rahane’s track record at number four is also quite promising. His last five scores at No. 4 now read: 45, 87, 89, 50, 79. He also batted at number four in six out of seven matches of the 2015 World Cup.

Rahane further spoke on his brilliant innings in the series-opener, saying: “When I went into bat [in Durban], my first thought was to build a partnership and rotating the strike. We knew they have a very good bowling attack. Especially [Kagiso] Rabada is their main bowler and Imran Tahir in the middle is a wicket-taker. We targetted a few bowlers, we’ll go after them. But mindset was to rotate the strike and keep the run-rate level. Last 10 overs we didn’t want to chase too many runs.”

He also admitted that his innings of 48 on a tough Wanderers pitch in his comeback Test was a major confidence booster. Rahane, left out of the first two Tests of the South Africa series, scored a vital 48 in the second innings to guide India to a good total on a pitch which behaved like a minefield.

“Batting at No. 4 is different. The confidence which came from last Test win at Johannesburg, I got 48 so confidence came from there. But I was actually determined to do well at No. 4 because I batted at that number in 2015 World Cup and few other series as well. Here the situation was completely different. We were chasing 270 and we knew that it was a par score on that wicket. Our bowlers did a really good job. Personally batting at No. 4, I really enjoyed and I am looking forward to doing even better,” he said.

Rahane further said the team would treat the second ODI as a fresh start in order to ward off against any kind of complacency that may have arisen after the comprehensive win in the series-opener.

“We’ll have to wait and see what’s going to happen tomorrow. Yes we all are confident about tomorrow. The way we played in Durban, especially our bowlers, those wristspinners did really well for us. It was a complete team effort but we want to start from zero because whatever happened in Durban is past now. This team is always living in the present. We are actually only thinking about this game.”

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