He is most comfortable to bat as an opener but to deliver as a middle order batsman, KL Rahul prepared for the challenge by picking the brains of modern-day great Virat Kohli apart from watching videos of Steve Smith and Kane Williamson.
Batting at number five, Rahul conjured up a 52-ball 80 to lead India to a competitive 340 for six against Australia in the second ODI, which the hosts won by 36 runs to level the series in Rajkot on Friday.
In the first ODI, Rahul had batted at number three in place of his skipper Kohli, scoring 47 off 61 balls.
"I don't think technically I have practiced anything different. I just spoke a lot more to middle-order batsmen and watched a lot of videos. I spoke a lot to Virat (Kohli) and watched a lot of videos of Ab (De Villiers) and Steve Smith for that matter and how they build their innings," Rahul said at post match press conference.
"Kane Williamson is somebody I've tried to go back and watch some of his videos and see how he build his innings and how they play in certain situations. The only thing I'm trying to learn is how I can use my game and be better at a certain situation."
"It is great challenge. I have been in decent form and very pretty confident about my skill, so coming up to every game and having a new responsibility and a new role is also a blessing, I don't think a lot of batsmen get that. That is how I look at this and I am enjoying my batting," he said
"I have always opened the batting so that's a position I am most comfortable with and I know how to build my innings but I get to learn so much about own self and about my batting and batting as an art, when I get to bat at 3,4,5."
"It is (a challenge). Even for me sometimes I couldn't pick Kuldeep (Yadav) and (Ravindra) Jadeja at the pace he bowls is just pretty difficult, it's not what I get in my first-class team. I'm just enjoying what's thrown at me and trying to do the best I can."