Pravin Amre hails Kohli’s faith in Rahane : During a tough phase, these things matter

Despite Karun Nair’s triple century against England, Kohli picked Rahane in the side on his return from injury. After tallying only 48 runs in his first three innings in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series, Rahane eventually repaid Kohli’s faith by scoring a crucial half-century that helped India set Australia a target of 188 after wiping out an 87-run first innings deficit.

“See, to be honest, it is never easy to drop someone (Karun Nair) after he has scored a triple hundred. But kudos to Kohli for giving out the right signals in the dressing room. Nair had come in because Rahane was injured. So, when Kohli stood up and made it clear that there was no question of dropping Rahane, it gave the batsman a lot of confidence. Also, when you are going through a tough phase, these things matter," Amre told News18.

“I think more than the personal milestone of scoring runs, Rahane’s partnership with Pujara was very important. Anyone who watched the game would know that it wasn’t an easy wicket to bat on. But the two of them combined beautifully and this win will help the overall morale of the team immensely.”

Rahane shared in an 118-run stand with Pujara in the second innings which helped the hosts win the Test by 75 runs and level the four-Test series 1-1.

“He was batting well till an error in judgment saw him get out stumped. To be fair, his intention was to attack and release pressure, but I asked him to do that by implementing the sweep shot and he did that well in the second innings," Amre said of his ward.

“Also, once he crossed the 25-run mark in the second innings, you could see that he was back to his old self. This is what happens when you grow in confidence. I think the team management deserves a lot of credit for giving him that confidence.

“The Indian team will be playing Test matches away from home after this series and that is where Rahane’s role becomes all the more crucial. So, it was important that he returns to form at the earliest. Also, this win will help the team play the next two Test matches with a lot more confidence and freedom.

“I think that it was a very important win for the boys and I wouldn’t like to speak any further about Rahane because for him it has always been all about the team. Personal milestones don’t matter to him. And after the Pune Test, this win was very important. He is glad that he could contribute.”