LEEDS: All-rounder Moeen Ali said on Thursday watching Suresh Raina had encouraged him to maintain an attacking approach to batting in One-day Internationals as a beleaguered England side get ready to face India in the fifth and final ODI here at Headingley on Friday.

Ali’s 67 — his team’s first fifty of the series — was the lone highlight for England in their nine-wicket thrashing by world champions India in the fourth ODI at Edgbaston, Birmingham last Tuesday.

That defeat saw England go down to a 3-0 ODI series loss ahead of Friday’s finale.

The match marked Ali’s series debut and his first ODI in England.

But in his role as a squad member he paid close attention to the way India batsman Raina made 100 in the tourists’ 133-run win in the second ODI in Cardiff after the team had been struggling at 19 for two.

“Watching someone like Raina, they were in trouble and he came out and played the way he played,” Ali told reporters at Headingley.

“He took a few risks and they came off. He backed himself. I tried to copy it a little a bit,” added Ali, who could well be promoted up the order from number seven on Friday.

“It’s something I go back to a lot and probably should do all the time, “the 27-year-old off-spinning all-rounder added.

“Take it to them, there is no point in being the same and getting out the same way all the time,” he explained. “I’d rather get caught on the boundary or stumped trying to do something then try and knock it around all the time.”

In the meantime, Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane said he was relieved to get a good night’s sleep after finally scoring his maiden ODI hundred.

Rahane’s blistering 106 off 100 balls, including 10 fours and four sixes, set the seal on world champions India’s crushing win over England in the fourth ODI.

For Rahane, opening in place of the injured Rohit Sharma, it also meant he’d reached three figures for the first time in 33 ODIs.

And it was just what the 26-year-old Mumbai stroke-maker needed after twice falling in the 40s.

“I was batting well in the first two ODIs, but got out on 45 and 41, “Rahane told reporters.

“That hurt me a lot because if you are batting so well in good conditions against this attack, if you get a big score it is good for my confidence and team morale.”

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2014