• Source:JND
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JE Sports Desk: India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane feels that he is still young and has a lot to contribute in team's success ahead of the first Test against West Indies, commencing on Wednesday at Windsor Park in Dominica.

Rahane made a return to India's squad after a long gap of more than 16 months as he was picked for World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia at The Oval last month. India lost the match and missed the chance to lift the second straight title but Rahane emerged as the top scorer for the side contributing 89 and 46 runs respectively.

"What do you mean by at this age? I am still young yaar (friend). There's still a lot of cricket in me," Rahane said in the pre-match press conference on Monday (local time).

"I had a good IPL and domestic season. I have grown in confidence as a batter but in the past one and half year I have also worked a lot on my fitness. I have worked on few aspects of my batting. At the moment I am enjoying my cricket. I am not thinking too much about the future. For now every match is important for me," he added.

Rahane on his Test vice-captaincy return and Rohit Sharma's captaincy

After his solid comeback in the WTC Final, Rahane returned as India's vice-captain for the West Indies series. Talking about the role, the middle-order batter expressed his excitement for the leadership role and lauded Rohit Sharma's captaincy.

"I am used to this role. I was vice-captain for almost four-five years. I am really happy to be back in the team and really happy to be back as a vice-captain," Rahane said.

"WTC final was the first game where I played under Rohit Sharma's captaincy. Rohit gives freedom to all the players and those are good traits of a great captain," he added.

Rahane further elaborated on his recent stint in IPL with Chennai Super Kings where he contributed 326 runs at a strike rate of 172.49.

"In the IPL, CSK has given me freedom. As a player when you have been given a role, you try to fulfill it. Before this, in the IPL my role was to be an anchor but CSK team management gave me the freedom and they wanted me to play my natural game."

"I am a natural stroke player. So just my role has changed. I always look to fullfill the role assigned to me and here also I will look to fullfill the role that Rohit gives me," the 35-year-old added.

Rahane's Message For Yashasvi Jaiswal

Youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal, who earned the maiden Test call-up for the West Indies tour, is all set to make his red-ball debut for India on Wednesday. Rahane heaped high praise on his former teammate and wants him to play his natural game.

"Firstly, I am really happy for him (Jaiswal). He is a really exciting talent. He has done exceptionally well in the domestic cricket for Mumbai and then in the IPL for the Rajasthan Royals. Most importantly the way he is batting in the red ball. He did well in the Duleep Trophy last year. His numbers are really good," the veteran batter said.

"My message to him will be just express your batting, don't think too much about the International cricket. It's all about going out in the middle and playing your game," he concluded.