Not looking to make a statement- Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane was cautious not to be lulled into the kind of comfort he felt while making a match-winning half-century when questioned what it meant to his future.

"This [series] is a great opportunity for everyone to just express yourself," Rahane said. "We don't want to put too much pressure on ourselves.

"Obviously, as a batsman you need that confidence going into a new series and the first game against Bangladesh in Bangladesh is always a challenge because they are a good team and they play well here."

Rahane was pivotal in getting the visitors off to a brisk start. His 99-run stand with a returning Robin Uthappa revealed its worth when a violent spell of rain halted play for two and half hours and upon resumption, left a tricky target to hunt down. Uthappa had already been dismissed and with Bangladesh's spinners extracting turn from the pitch, Rahane had to usher his side through a few nervous overs.

"I wanted to be not out till the end. Happy that we won the game though," he said. "That's what we wanted. We've got that momentum now and we just want to continue with it. We're not looking too far ahead. Right now, we are just focusing on the next two games.

"We want to back our game and personally I am not thinking too far ahead. I just want to bat well and improve my game with every match."

The strength and composition of the squad India had picked had been the subject of many debates. Rahane, though, said there was not much emphasis on setting records straight.

"Every international game will count. So we are not thinking about it [making a statement]. Whoever is here, they did really well in domestic cricket and that's why they are here. I think youngsters and the newcomers are really talented and really hard working. The two debutants did really well too. It's a good learning experience for everyone."

Rahane also said Suresh Raina as captain had handled his bowlers well especially in the face of Dhaka's sweltering heat. India had to contend with being a bowler down as Mohit Sharma could bowl only 5.4 overs owing to a problem with his leg. The result was 43 runs in the last five overs, three of which was bowled by spinners.

"All these things [runs in death overs] happen in this heat. It is really challenging and I thought the bowlers did well in this challenging situation

"Raina supported all the bowlers really well because it was really hot and challenging for them in the first half of the game. I think backing and supporting them is going to be really crucial in the next two games."

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