IND vs SA | Rarely see three pacers playing in India, says Ajinkya Rahane
BCCI
Ajinkya Rahane, India's Test vice-captain has revealed that in Indian conditions, three pacers are rarely played and the Indian team will decide their bowling combination according to the conditions. Rahane also believes that India should not take the Proteas lightly in the upcoming series.
There is a definite spring in Ajinkya Rahane's steps after he scored a century in the series against West Indies last month and ended a 17-Test wait for a 100. Rahane, India's Test vice-captain, was under pressure to perform in Antigua and he delivered with an 81 and 102 in the first Test. Prior to that, the 31-year-old had scored his last century on 3 August 2017 against Sri Lanka in Colombo and it took two years for him to finally get the monkey off his back.
"You get to learn from every match and every series and I had to wait for two years, 17 Tests, for my Test debut and for this century (in West Indies) I had to wait for 17 Tests. I think there was some co-ordination," said Rahane to the PTI ahead of the first Test against South Africa in Vizag on Wednesday.
"When I was playing for Hampshire, I was thinking, when I made my debut, how my mindset was before that. In these 17 Tests, I was not getting a hundred, I was going behind getting a hundred and it was not coming,” he added.
Rahane revealed that he had a clear thought process of playing his game and trusting his abilities and that if a century is to come his way, it will. He insisted that he did not work too much on his technique to get back amongst the runs and instead made mental adjustments to handle the difficult situation.
“Not thinking about the technical stuff, it was all about how I make the mental adjustment like handling difficult situations," he said.
South Africa may be without star players like AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn from now on but Rahane has asserted that India cannot afford to take the Proteas lightly. India hammered the Proteas at home four years ago, winning the four-match series 3-0.Â
"There are five Tests at home versus South Africa (three Tests) and Bangladesh (two Tests). Because of the Test Championship, you cannot take any team lightly. Even before the championship, we were not taking any team lightly and since the points system is involved, every match is important,” the Indian vice-captain said.Â
The 31-year-old explained the importance of winning games instead of drawing when the points system of the championships is involved. He also claimed that players like Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma cannot be taken lightly. With the pitch for the game all set to be a flat one with hardly any grass on it, India is expected to field two spinners and as many pacers and Rahane all but ruled out the possibility of India fielding three seamers.
"Depending on the conditions we will decide the combination. Hanuma (who bats at 6) can also bowl some spin and that makes a difference. In India, we hardly see three pacers playing," he concluded.
