{
    "id": "11675",
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    "title": "Open to bat at any position Says Lokesh Rahul",
    "lang": "en",
    "series": "56",
    "cup_year": "2015",
    "article_type": "General",
    "excerpt": "India Test opener Lokesh Rahul on Friday said he is open to batting at any position",
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    "editor1": "<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Colombo, Aug 21<\/strong> - India Test opener Lokesh Rahul on Friday said he is open to batting at any position according to the team&rsquo;s needs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rahul scored a century (108) on Thursday while opening the batting against Sri Lanka on the first day of the second Test here at the P Sara Oval. However, the right-hander insists that he can bat at any given slot and would relish such a challenge.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&quot;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,&quot; Rahul told bcci.tv on Friday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&quot;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,&quot; he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Asked to compare his hundred here and the one he scored against Australia in January at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), the 23-year-old said: &quot;Both (at SCG and P. Sara) have been very difficult hundreds and in very difficult conditions and have been challenging for me. I didn&#39;t get runs in the first Test and to come here and play like the way I did was very satisfying for me individually.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&quot;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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&quot;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,&quot; the Karnataka cricketer said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rahul almost threw away his wicket trying to play a pull shot to an away going bouncer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&quot;It is very disappointing that the shot you love to play the most gets you out a lot. For me it&#39;s a good learning, a big learning. It&#39;s my favourite shot and I won&#39;t stop playing the shot, so I will discipline myself and get to know what is the right line and length to pull. That&#39;s what I have to work on.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also added that he was having a lot of fun batting with captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&ldquo;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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&quot;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,&quot; said Rahul.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"line-height: 20.7999992370605px; text-align: justify;\">(IANS)<\/span><\/p>\r\n",
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    "created": "2015-08-21 15:18:00",
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