IND vs SA LIVE 1st Test: Zaheer Khan backs Rahane & Pujara – The next 24 hours will be crucial for Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. With Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari in form, their places are in jeopardy. The selectors have already sent a message, removing Rahane as the vice-captain. But former India pacer Zaheer Khan has backed the duo to regain form, advising them to shut out the noise. Follow India vs South Africa Test series Live updates on InsideSport.IN.
“There have been mixed performances for Ajinkya Rahane. There is no doubt about it. He is under immense pressure. That is the fact. For any cricketer, to go through this kind of phase, you’ve got to have that mental toughness to come out of it. The good part is that you are still there and you are one inning away. As a batsman or cricketer, you should have such a belief,” Zaheer Khan told TOI.
Also Read: Rahul Dravid Press Conference LIVE: Team India coach to address the media…
IND vs SA 1st Test: Zaheer Khan’s SPECIAL advice for under fire Rahane & Pujara, ‘Shut out the noise with your performance
.@imVkohli‘s transformation 👏
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Initial few months as Head Coach ☺️Rahul Dravid discusses it all as #TeamIndia gear up for the first #SAvIND Test in Centurion. 👍 👍
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IND vs SA LIVE: For the Boxing Day Test against South Africa, head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Virat Kohli are expected to stick to the two veteran Test batsmen. But any slip up may cost them the place in the Playing XI, especially for Ajinkya Rahane.
- Ajinkya Rahane has averaged 19.57 in the last 12 months and saw him being dropped as the Test vice-captain.
- Rahane doesn’t have the immunity of being the vice-captain of the team anymore and the team management will need to take a tough decision.
- Cheteshwar Pujara has averaged only 28.24 in the last 12 months with no century to show for.
- Apart from the two half-centuries against England, he hasn’t had any fifty in 2021.
- Against New Zealand, at home, he once again failed to deliver on the promise.
IND vs SA 1st Test: Zaheer Khan’s SPECIAL advice for under fire Rahane & Pujara, ‘Shut out the noise with your performance
IND vs SA LIVE: But Zaheer Khan’s advice for Rahane and Pujara is to face the situation head-on and get some runs to shut out the noise.
“Through my personal experience, if someone is going through a rough patch, you’ve got to have that belief that you are just one inning or one good knock away from that good performance. If you hit that, things change very fast as well. This is what I would advise Ajinkya at this stage. As a cricketer, you need to accept these challenges and take them head-on,” Zaheer Khan said.
While the South Africa tour could be the last chance saloon for Ajinkya Rahane, Zaheer Khan said the only the former Test vice-captain can do is to make an impact and prove their critics wrong.
IND vs SA 1st Test: Zaheer Khan’s SPECIAL advice for under fire Rahane & Pujara, ‘Shut out the noise with your performance
“I don’t believe in all these things. I will just talk from a cricketer’s point of view. These factors are not in your control. What is in your control is when you are playing the match. You just have to make that impact with your performance. That’s what the challenges of playing at the highest level bring to you. It’s a routine process. You just need to go and shut out the noise with your performances and just bring the best out of you. These things are the background noise,” Khan said.
IND vs SA 1st Test: Zaheer Khan’s SPECIAL advice for under fire Rahane & Pujara, ‘Shut out the noise with your performance
IND vs SA LIVE: As for the Test series, India have a golden opportunity to win a Test series after 29 years. South Africa could be dubbed as India’s final frontier having won everywhere else apart from in the rainbow nation. India lost series 2018 series 1-2 with a consolation win in the last match. But Zaheer Khan believes, it is the time India to win the series as the South African team is struggling.
“We have had quite a few wins in South Africa. The victories in Wanderers, the victory in Durban. I remember those wins fondly. We also came very close to winning a series in South Africa but we couldn’t. For this Indian team, there is a big opportunity right now to win a series in South Africa. The kind of consistency this Test team has shown, there is no reason to think otherwise. Team India has got a great chance of winning a series in South Africa. I am sure they will put up a great show,” Zaheer Khan said.
IND vs SA 1st Test: Zaheer Khan’s SPECIAL advice for under fire Rahane & Pujara, ‘Shut out the noise with your performance
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