Changing batting positions no longer mental challenge, just want to play for team: Rahul

 Senior India batter K L Rahul on Wednesday said that he has overcome the "mental challenge" of being a floater in the line-up and is willing to bat at any position as long as he is able to play for the team.

Rahul was superb in the first Test against Australia in Perth with scores of 26 and 77 while opening the innings in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, who was on a paternity break.

With Rohit walking back into playing eleven for the day-night Test starting Friday, Rahul was asked the obvious question about his batting position.

"Anything (opening or middle order)," the 32-year-old batter told reporters ahead of India's training session here.

"I just want to be in the playing XI, which means wherever. You go there and bat and play for the team," said the batter with 3000 plus runs in 54 Tests.

Rahul started his Test career in Australia exactly a decade back as a middle-order batter, who later opened. His batting slot in both the Test and ODI set-up was far from steady all these years and this affected him mentally.

"I have batted in many positions. Earlier it was a bit of a challenge, not technically but mentally about how to play those first 20-25 balls," he opened about his apprehensions.

"How early can I attack? How much do I need to be cautious? Those were things that were tricky early on.

"But now that I have played in Tests and ODIs all over the place, it has given me an idea of how I want to manage my innings," said the stylish stroke-maker, who has two hundreds in South Africa, one in Australia and a couple of more in England among his eight Test tons.

In his mind, he has simplified the process of Test batting.

"Whether I am batting top of the order or in the middle order. If I can manage the first 30-40 balls at start, everything then seems like regular batting, that's what I try to focus on," he explained.