Ajinkya Rahane yet to be confirmed for ODI opener's slot

With Shikhar Dhawan opting out of the first 3 ODIs of the upcoming series against Australia, the position of the second opening batsman alongside Rohit Sharma has been split wide open for Ajinkya Rahane. The BCCI has clarified that the selectors have no intentions of naming a replacement for Dhawan as the team is gearing up in Chennai for the first ODI. Rahane’s coach, Praveen Amre confirmed that the 29-year old right-hander has been sweating it out on the field in order to prepare himself for the oncoming responsibilities.

In spite of his consistent stints as an opening batsman in the past, Rahane has had to bank on the unavailability of Dhawan or Sharma to get a chance in the ODI squad, more often than not. On substituting a rested Rohit Sharma in the West Indies tour earlier this year, he kicked off the innings in all 5 ODIs and proved his mettle by scoring three fifties, one century and the lowest score of 36.

This time around, it’s Dhawan who has requested to be exempted from the first 3 ODIs against Australia in Chennai (September 17), Kolkata (September 21) and Indore (September 24) in order to be with his ailing wife and Rahane is expected to fill the void.

Coach Praveen Amre lauds Rahane

Rahane has been training hard in order to give his best shot in the series against Australia. Amre, in an interview to DNA on Thursday, said, “I am happy with the preparation. Sachin (Tendulkar) also gave some inputs. It was nice of him to come and advice. I’m pretty confident the way Ajinkya has prepared for the series. What I observed was that one ODI series ago, he was man of the series in West Indies. He has been in good form in Tests too with a hundred in the Colombo Test. So, Ajinkya is absolutely in good form, he is in the scheme of things and he is taking it positively. I’m looking forward to his performance in the home ODI series against Australia.”

When asked if the duo had concentrated on any zone in particular, Amre revealed, “It is all about constantly improving on one’s game. We have back-to-back ODI series against Australia and New Zealand. There is always room to improvement. We have been doing the same things for the last seven years. Whatever the format, my job is to get him in good frame of mind.”

He further elucidated that a strong bench strength is indicative of a healthy competition within the team. “This healthy competition is a good thing for Team India. You talk about Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane for the openers’ slot in ODIs. Team India is also doing good in all formats. Rahane has to raise his own bar, the same hunger has to be there and we are working on it. He is one of the few Indians who can fit in all the three formats. That is the challenge for any cricketer,” he added.