Mirpur (Bangladesh): Ajinkya Rahane today played the role of an opener against Afghanistan but the Indian batsman wants to perform well in next year's World Cup while batting at number four, a batting position he finds more challenging.
Rahane scored 56 runs and added 121 runs with fellow opener Shikhar Dhawan in an easy chase of 160 against the minnows.
"As an opener, you get first 10 overs, and new ball. I like to back my instincts and play my shots. At No 4, sometimes situation is like 30 for 2 or 40 for 2 and sometimes it's like 120 or 150/2. You have to play under different situations when you bat at No 4. It's very crucial to rotate the strike and play your shots, back your instincts. No 4 is really a challenging position," Rahane told reporters.
"In T20 and domestic, I used to open. I am learning a lot at No 4. With world cup coming up, I'm looking forward to this challenge," he added.
Pakistan's win against Bangladesh yesterday had already sealed India's fate in the Asia Cup. They signed off with a comfortable eight-wicket win over Afghanistan with 106 balls to spare.
Hailing the bowlers effort to bundle out Afghanistan for a paltry 159, he said: "It always feels good when you score runs. But we're obviously disappointed that could not qualify.
Overall, we played two close games. Credit goes to bowlers. it's not easy to bowl on these condition."
