Mumbai, Oct 22: Under pressure after two back-to-back failures, India's opening batsman Ajinkya Rahane said he learnt from his mistakes to come good in the third game of the five-match ODI series against England in Mohali.
“My performances in the first two matches were bad and I was a little upset. I did not want to repeat the same mistakes. I had spoken to Mahi (captain M S Dhoni) and the coach (Duncan Fletcher) and they told me to play my natural game that had got me runs in the recent past,” said Rahane on the eve of the fourth ODI here.
Rahane notched up a man-of-the-match winning knock of 91 from 106 balls and also put on a stand of 71 with Parthiv Patel to lay the foundation for India's successful run-chase of close to 300 runs which gave the hosts an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.
“Mahi bhai told me to back myself. I wanted to give myself some time to settle down. I knew I could play my shots later. I was obviously disappointed at not getting a century but after making 91 if your team wins, it gives you more satisfaction.
“While chasing a big total there is some pressure but a little pressure is good as it helps you concentrate better,” said the 23-year-old from Mumbai, who will be playing in front of his home crowd tomorrow here at the Wankhede Stadium.
Rahane said it is going to be a huge occasion for him to play at the Wankhede Stadium as part of the world champion team, which achieved the great feat of lifting the coveted World Cup at this ground on April 2.
“It was a proud moment. The World Cup final (against Sri Lanka) was held here and we had won here. It's good to represent a world champion team. It's my home ground and it's a big moment for me,” Rahane, who has scored over 4000 runs in domestic cricket in four seasons, said.
