Sri Lanka are 7 runs away from India

Rahane readying the reverse sweep

For two days in a row, Ajinkya Rahane put in a considerable amount of his time and focus in the nets on perfecting an unorthodox shot against the spinners. First it was Kuldeep Yadav, and then Ravichandran Ashwin who were continually reverse swept in the nets on Monday.

There seemed to be a pattern emerging from the way India trained, as each batsman resorted to this shot before moving on to facing short-pitched throwdowns. On Tuesday, the frequency of the hit came down, but the sweep shot was still turned to every now and then, while the reverse sweep was relegated to shadow practice.

The No. 5 batsman put it down to an attempt to improve his game on a daily basis and keep his options open should the opportunity arise for such shots to be played. Rahane has sometimes found himself in situations when counterattacking a set bowler becomes key to the team's progress in the game. In such scenarios, being able to innovate and move away from classical strokeplay becomes a useful skill to possess.

"It's important to improve your game day by day. When you're practising in the nets, it is important to evolve and I am just practising. I just want to improve," Rahane said on Tuesday (November 14).

"I always think that if I improve one shot in the nets session, I'll be better off during the game. If the opportunity comes in the game, I am 100 percent confident of playing a particular shot. I am just practising reverse sweep, sweep, paddle sweep. Just an option," he added.

Even for a stroke-maker reputed to swear by the textbook, Rahane has found comfort in going out of the way to add to his game and keep the batting evolution going.

"I am comfortable [attempting those shots]. For me it is important to give my 100 percent in the nets. If I am comfortable and confident in the game, I'll play that shot," he said.

Rahane's venture into unorthodoxy might just come in handy if Sri Lanka resort to using three or more spin options, like they did against India at home in August