FRESH FROM HIS SECOND TEST CENTURY, India opener Lokesh Rahul today said he is willing to bat at any position as per the cricket team's needs.
Rahul struck a century (108) while opening the batting against Sri Lanka on the first day of the second Test at the P Sara Oval in Colombo.
"I have always believed that as a professional cricketer, you need to be flexible in your mind and whatever the team wants you to do, you should be ready to adapt quickly and deliver for the team,"
Rahul was quoted as saying by bcci.Tv.
He added,
"Whatever the team demands from me, I will do that; but if you ask me personally, I have always opened the batting, I enjoy batting up the order. But again, if the team wants me to bat in a different position, it is a good challenge for me and if the team requires that, I will have to do that,"
he said.
Asked to compare this hundred with his maiden Test ton against Australia in January at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), the 23-year-old said:
"Both (at SCG and P. Sara) have been very difficult hundreds and in very difficult conditions and have been challenging for me. I didn't get runs in the first Test and to come here and play like the way I did was very satisfying for me individually.
"But honestly I felt I should have done a lot better and I am feeling a little disappointed. Generally after tea to the end of the day it is the time when you get more runs, when you are set.
"And I felt I should have been there and could have got more runs for my team. But again it is a big learning for me and I will go back and work on a few things, hopefully I will not do the mistakes again," the Karnataka cricketer said.
Rahul said he was enjoying batting with captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
"Always enjoyed batting with Virat. He brings in a lot of energy and a lot of positivity when he comes in to bat. With Rohit, it is a lot calmer. He likes to take his time, you look at him batting and you feel like he is batting with so much ease and so much time. It was a lot of fun to bat with both of them.
"All three of us are positive players, so the scoreboard kept ticking. I was having a lot of fun batting with both. It is good to have partners like them,"
said Rahul.