Ajinkya Rahane has been one of India's redeeming features on a tour where good news has been hard to come by. Rahane's string of scores — 61, 40 and 54 — right from his international debut in the Twenty20 game at Old Trafford, has reflected his talent and the hard yards he has done in domestic cricket.
The opener's batting may not breed worries but there was anxiety around his legs after he needed a runner towards the end of his knock at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday. Luckily Rahane swatted those fears aside and said: “I am fit to play and the ankle is fine.”
Rahane also sounded optimistic about the team's chances. “We are giving it our best shot and in the three matches that are left, I am hopeful we will pull it off,” he said.
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Rahane said the seniors had helped him find his space. “I understood the conditions only once I reached here. I was nervous to begin with, but the seniors helped me settle down. Now that I have this chance, my focus is to do my best and make the team win and I am not bothered about whether I am a Test or one-day batsman,” he said and thanked his earlier Mumbai coach Praveen Amre, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid for mentoring him.
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Meanwhile, Graeme Swann said England wanted to extend its dominance. “After the Tests, we cannot let these matches be a damp squib and we don't want the results here to rob that sheen.
“Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane have played with freedom and Suresh Raina looks a completely different player in these games. Due to injuries, the Indian team is a largely different squad from the one we played against in the Tests and we need to have our plans right,” the off-spinner said.