One game doesn’t make us bad players of short ball, affirms Ajinkya Rahane
Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has insisted one poor game in hostile conditions in New Zealand does not make the Indian batsmen bad players of the short-ball. Rahane further added that the key for the team was to learn from the defeat and prepare better for the Australia tour later this year.
India’s 0-2 drubbing at the hands of New Zealand in the recently-concluded two-match Test series led the way to the reopening of Pandora’s box. The poor showing, particularly from the batsmen, has been met with severe criticism. And once again, it seems the major talking point has drifted towards the Men in Blue’s weakness against short-pitched bowling. According to Rahane, however, the criticism holds no merit, instead crediting the Kiwi seamers for their clever use of angles in windy conditions.
"People are speaking too much about it (short balls). If you see Melbourne innings, we have dominated. We all play short-balls well, one game doesn't make you bad players of short ball. They (NZ bowlers) used the breeze factor very well because in New Zealand it was biggest factor, cutting the angle and pace," Rahane told PTI.
All said and done, India still hold a significant lead atop the ICC World Test Championship table, but their next battle in whites will come against the team placed No.2, i.e. the Aussies. And Rahane hopes that his colleagues can brush past the setbacks and prepare well for the mouth-watering four-match clash set to begin in November.Â
"We have to stay focussed and positive and the next series is in Australia and there is a long way to go, looking forward to that. We have really done a good job in the last three-four years. Now the Test Championship has started. In this journey, you are going to win and lose some matches. We learned a lot from the New Zealand series, they played well. As a team, there is some learning as batting and bowling units,” Rahane added.
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