Ajinkya Rahane has been a mainstay of the Indian batting lineup for quite a while. Now he has been given a new responsibility, that of leading Team India on the tour to Zimbabwe. As he prepares to lead a young team there, Rahane said he is confident of doing a goo job as the captain.
“I want to thank the selectors and the BCCI to give me this new opportunity. Captaincy is a new challenge for me and I am sure I will handle this challenge very well,” Rahane said prior to the team’s departure to Zimbabwe.
“I visualize before playing a game and during it. I often imagine what I would do in a situation if I were the captain. That will help me on this tour. I am confident about the job and I have my own ideas for the team. I will back my instincts and as a team we will give our best,” he said.
Rahane believes that having toured to the country before will be an advantage for him in terms of forming plans for the conditions.
“I have been to Zimbabwe before and I have a fair idea of what the conditions there will be like. I will share those ideas with the team,” he said.
Although India’s 15-man squad is without some of the big names, Rahane feels it is a strong team will all bases covered.
“We have a very good, balanced team and we will try our best to win this series. It is a good opportunity for the youngsters to express themselves at the international level. All these players have done well in domestic cricket and IPL.”
One of Rahane’s personal goals in this series is to find the same consistency with the bat in ODIs that he has displayed in Test cricket and T20s.
“I am looking for consistency in ODI cricket. In Tests and T20s I am in a different zone. I want to achieve that in ODIs as well. There is no technical fault, just the matter of mindset. If I get 30-odd, I need to score a big one,” he said.
