PTI | Updated: July 15, 2017, 8:51 AM IST

Ajinkya Rahane. (Getty Images)

For Rahane, more than technical, there were mental adjustments that were really very necessary. Asked to elaborate, Rahane said: "By instinct, I am an attacking batsman but the pitches in the West Indies required a different mindset. It required patience and at times not get enticed to go for the big ones. Discretion was necessary in shot selection.

"And when we talk about discretion, that's where the mind comes into play to be able to think clearly what are the shots that I am going to play in a particular situation, on a particular kind of pitch," he said.

For him, what made the knocks special was the pitches in the West Indies which weren't exactly batting friendly with the ones in Port of Spain and Antigua creating difficulties.

"Actually the 62 that I got in the first ODI (abandoned due to rain), gave me a lot of confidence. It was my comeback match. I wanted to have a good knock under my belt. Once I got those runs, the second match was even better when I scored that century. The pitches were sluggish in nature and each pitch was so different from one another," he stated.

The soft-spoken Rahane said that not for once did he feel insecured because he was coming in place of a rested Rohit Sharma, who is again expected to open the innings during the Sri Lanka ODIs.

"This is a great phase in Indian cricket where we have so many top quality players competing for a place in the Indian team. It's always good to have competition. As far as I am concerned, I have never ever been insecure in my life."

Although he doesn't want to look too far ahead, Rahane is game about batting at any slot in the limited overs version. "Actually my spiritual guru tells me one thing. It is very important to live in the present, irrespective of whether you are playing or not. The biggest lesson of life for me is to keep things simple.

"As far as batting order is concerned, when you are playing for India, if the coach and the captain tells you to perform a particular duty, you do it. So if I am told to bat at a particular position, I will perform to the best of my abilities," he said with an air of confidence.

On the upcoming Sri Lanka tour, Rahane said that like every Test series, he does his homework and it will be no different this time around.

"I have a few plans for the series and I am working towards it. Obviously, you don't reveal your strategy. Also the Zimbabwe series will not be an indicator that Sri Lanka will be an easy prey for the Indian team. They have some quality players and as opposition, we need to respect them," he concluded.

First Published: July 15, 2017, 8:51 AM IST

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Spirituality Has Helped Ajinkya Rahane Live in the Present - News18