14 December,2020 11:29 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Ajinkya Rahane. File pic
Former India cricketer and legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar recently spoke about Ajinkya Rahane's ability to lead Team India against Australia after skipper Virat Kohli departs home post the Adelaide Test. Rahane will be leading India in the last three Test matches. But will he be able to handle the pressure? Gavaskar certainly feels so.
Speaking exclusively on Star Sports show GAME PLAN, Team India batting legend Sunil Gavaskar feels that there is no pressure on Ajinkya Rahane, who is expected to lead the Test team in Virat Kohli's absence, he said, "There is no real pressure on Ajinkya Rahane, because both the times that he has led the team, he has won. He led against Australia at Dharamshala and India won. He led against Afghanistan and India won. So, as far as his captaincy is concerned, there is going to be no pressure because he knows he is at the moment, only the stand-in captain for the 3 Test matches. So, I don't think the fact about being a captain or carrying on as captain is going to be part of his thinking at all. He will do the job as honestly as he plays his cricket, which means, as a batsman, he will go out there and try and let Pujara try and grind the opposition in and play few more shots maybe."
Gavaskar also went on to heap praises on Test veteran batsman Cheteshwar Pujara ahead of the four-match Test series against Australia, he said, "Out of 20 days of Test cricket that we have ahead of us, we are really happy to have him bat for 15 days, there is no question about it. Whether he has played any cricket or not, I don't think it's going to make any difference because he is so strong mentally, that he will beâ¦. he loves batting, he loves being at the crease, he loves wearing the bowlers down. In the last two years, he has also improved his strokes and range of shots."
Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden shares his thoughts on Cheteshwar Pujara ahead of the four-match Test series against Australia, he said, "As you know Australians love to drink coffee, and we have decided to go on a little campaign to make sure we have plenty of caffeine when it comes to watching Pujara bat. But, you know what the reality is, he hurt us badly. We are of a generation now where we are admiring people for their stroke play, we are admiring people for their strike rate. Well, he is one of the few guys in Test cricket that have a strike rate of sub 45 and he can hurt you."
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