Happy the way I batted: Ajinkya Rahane

The Rising Pune Supergiants earned a hard fought win against the Delhi Daredevils and now they can hope to go better in the games to follow. RPS opener, Ajinkya Rahane, scored an unbeaten 63 off just 48 balls to steer the side to a convincing win. Speaking to the iplt20.com after the match, the Mumbai batsman had a lot to say about the team, his new opening partner, and playing the anchor role.

When asked about his own performance, Rahane was quick to say he was happy to hit the winning runs. In particular, he was happy with the way he batted and ensured that the team won the game. “I am really happy the way I batted. The plan was that one batsman has to be there till the end and it was my day today. So I am happy that I made it count. I felt that the first six overs were very important because the ball was coming very nicely on to the bat and after that it got slower and slower. So after the first six overs, I decided that if I bat till 15th or 16th over we have a good chance to win and that’s what I did,” said Ajinkya Rahane.

Commenting on his new opening partner, Usman Khawaja, Rahane was all praise for his knock up the order. He explained that running between the wickets was a tough task since it was the first time they batted together, but further added that the duo enjoyed each other’s company.

“We enjoyed each other’s company but it was challenging for both of us. Running between the wickets was very challenging because we were batting together for the first time. Hopefully we will get used to each other’s company and will do well in coming matches,” said the Indian middle order batsman.

He further added that he has been assigned the anchoring role in the side. He conceded that if he stays till the powerplay, his role becomes the anchoring role thereafter. “Yes. If I get set, (and in the) first six overs (I make) around 15-20 not out, my job is to bat till the end. I will look to bat till the end and other players will bat around me,” Rahane quoted.

Rahane has been enjoying his time with the bat and has hit 5 half centuries this season. Speaking on this, the right-handed batsman said, “I am feeling happy at the moment, especially tonight because I was there till the end and that’s what I wanted to do, play that winning shot for my team. The coming five games are very important and it will be important to play one game at a time and give our best in each and every game.”

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