Ajinkya Rahane - new weapon in MS Dhoni's arsenal

New Delhi: The ICC World Cup is just few months away, which is scheduled to take place in Australia and New Zealand from February next year. Being the world champions, India will try to defend the coveted title.

Men in Blue have always relied heavily on their batting. However, when it comes to playing outside subcontinent, even their best batsmen struggle to cope with that extra swing and bounce.

And as the tournament is taking place on the swift and bouncy tracks of Australia and New Zealand, India batsmen have to adjust to the conditions very quickly. Considering the poor patch of India's batting mainstay Virat Kohli, short-ball issue with Suresh Raina and opener Shikhar Dhawan's erratic batting, the only batsman who is looking most promising at the moment is none other than Ajinkya Rahane.

The Mumbai-lad is compact and composed in his batting. Moreover, he has proved his mettle many a times during the crucial overseas tours of South Africa, New Zealand and even England. Though, he doesn't have the flamboyance like Kohli and Dhawan, or flashy shots like Raina and Rohit, he certainly has the adaptability and technique which will be needed the most during the biggest cricketing carnival.

In fact, the added advantage with him is that he is capable of batting at any position and can change his gears rather swiftly, in any given situation.

In the forthcoming World Cup, he can emerge as a trump card for the on-field gambler Dhoni, who has already praised the Rajasthan Royals' batsman many a times in the past.