Just be straightforward: Thank you for your reply, I am very honored with the chance of recruiting with Bain. However, I would prefer and see myself as a better fit for a strategy role - is there an opening I can apply to?

See - you don't need to justify or explain. You just need to say you would prefer to apply to strategy if that is possible.

But before you do that, I would note that a lot of consultants actually prefer doing implementation work instead of the heavy lifting of analytical work. Please do a bit of research / networking to make sure strategy is likely to be your preference.

(edited)

Hi there,

Pedro's line/phrasing is excellent.

Important that you keep it short/clear/concise. Often, less is more - admittedly, I'm still working on this point myself.

If you truly only want strategy, tell them that. Be respectful and appreciative, but indicate that both your interested and your skillset (contribution to the firm) means you would appreciate being considered for the strategy role.

I would try to speak to the direct about this as well, if you had a good call with them initially.

I would communicate directly that you rather had in mind a strategy role and then proactively give examples from your professional experience that show an overlap between what you did and strategy work.  

The 4 points you mentioned could also be applied to implementation, so suggesting those is not particularly convincing. 

Best,
Cristian