Green wickets will prepare batsmen, they’ll not be a fish out of water in SA, says Pravin Amre

Green wickets will prepare batsmen, they’ll not be a fish out of water in SA, says Pravin Amre

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Written by: SportsCafe Desk

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BCCI

Pravin Amre has praised Virat Kohli’s decision to play Sri Lanka on green wickets and believes that it will help Indian batsmen prepare for South Africa where they won’t feel like a fish out of water. The batting coach also believes that Ajinkya Rahane is one shot away from regaining his form.

With India getting little to no time for preparations before they head to South Africa early next year, it was a brilliant call on the part of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri to face Sri Lanka on green pitches that would help India get acquainted with South African conditions. And it has already panned out well for their bowlers with the likes of Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Mohammad Shami getting good purchase, though Indian batsmen still have a lot to improve upon.

Former India cricketer Pravin Amre has lauded India’s decision and believes that the green pitches will help the batsmen prepare for South Africa, where India are yet to win a Test series.

“The idea to prepare on green wickets is a brilliant one and I was having a word with Ajinkya and told him the same that it was a positive thinking and will help prepare him and the other batsmen in advance for the tough test that lies ahead. They will not feel like a fish out of water when they reach South Africa,” said Amre in an interview with CricketNext.

“Also, just winning against Sri Lanka wouldn’t make much sense as the conditions would be in complete contrast in South Africa. But now they will be prepared. Kohli has taken the right decision and shows that he thinks way ahead of others.”

Amre has been Ajinkya Rahane’s personal coach for two years now and came to the batsman’s defence after he was singled out following India’s poor batting display at the Eden Gardens. Rahane could only make four runs in two innings in the first Test and came under the spotlight for his unconvincing batting display.

Rahane has to play a crucial role down the batting order in South Africa where the batsmen have always struggled, and Amre believes that the middle-order batsman is just one good shot away from bouncing back to form and it is just a matter of time before he does it.

“Ups and downs are part and parcel of any sports person’s life. But if you sit and analyse, the second innings dismissal (of Rahane) was unfortunate. As for the first one, it was a good ball and the overcast conditions helped the bowler… He just needs to do his job and just like one good ball can dismiss you, one good shot can bring your confidence back. It is not always a 50 or 100 that helps your confidence. A good shot, a couple of balls hitting the sweet spot is enough to bring back your A-game,” said Amre.

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