‘Ajinkya Rahane seems to be in a really good space’ - Rahul Dravid ahead of Boxing Day clash against South Africa

Under-fire Ajinkya Rahane has received support for Team India head coach Rahul Dravid ahead of the first Test against South Africa, which gets underway on December 26 at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. Dravid also revealed the conversations he has had with them regarding India’s playing 11 ahead of the crucial Boxing Day clash on Sunday.

For the unversed, Rahane has been woefully short of runs lately. His place in the line-up has come under the scanner for the same. In fact, the 33-year-old was also stripped off as India’s vice-captain ahead of the crucial tour. While Dravid didn’t answer whether Rahane will play or not, he said the middle-order batter is in a “really good space.” The former Indian captain also talked about the “positive” chats he had with the veteran batter.

Conversations with Ajinkya Rahane have been very positive: Rahul Dravid

“Conversations with Ajinkya Rahane have been very positive, have been very good. I think he has trained really well this week, practiced really well. It’s been no different to actually any conversations with most of the players. And ya, he seems to be in a really good space,” Dravid said the virtual press conference.

With several players throwing their hat, the team management would have a tough time selecting the playing XI. When asked about how easy or difficult it would be for him to decide the playing XI, Dravid said the side isn’t ‘scared’ to make tough calls.

“I look at it as a great opportunity for anyone for that matter whether you are in form or out of form… It’s always something you look forward to as a batsman, to be honest, playing in conditions away from home and having that opportunity to do well and test yourself against a really good opposition in their home conditions. I think a lot of your career is defined by those kinds of performances,” he added.

“It’s never easy to leave out players. We’ve got some real quality in our squad. You know, every one of the 18 players we are carrying here is a really good player. Obviously, we have to make decisions and only 11 can play and sometimes we have to make [tough] calls,” he added.