Ajinkya Rahane will feature in the next two Tests: Kepler Wessels

Ajinkya Rahane did not play in the first Test on India’s tour of South Africa because of his current form. He has been an instrumental player in the Indian batting order when they travel overseas. Kohli threw a few surprises when the playing XI was announced for the Newlands Test. Rahane was left out as Rohit Sharma was preferred for the No.5 position, a clear indication that the team management preferrs current form over past records.

Importance of Jinx

After restricting the Proteas for 286, the Indian batsmen gave away their wickets cheaply. Cheteshwar Pujara hung in there for quite a while but he too failed to trouble the scorers much. It was clear that the Indians were missing the services of Rahane who could have negated the fast bowlers to a certain extent.

“I was surprised when Rahane was dropped for this Test. I know he has not scored a lot of runs lately. But he has the game, has played well in South Africa before. I am sure they will bring him back for the next two Tests,” former South African captain Kepler Wessels was quoted as saying to Sportstar.

A player must have a good defensive technique and must be capable of leaving the ball outside the off-stump. Known for his courageous approach at the top of the order, Wessels added, “If you are not brave and gutsy while facing the South African attack on these type of surfaces, you are not going to score runs.”

The Indian pace attack has improved over the years and have the potential to improve their performances over time. It is going to get tougher for the Indians as the surfaces are going to be quicker than the one in Newlands. In these situations, you need a player like Rahane to add stability in the middle order. He is one player who is short of confidence but has a good batting technique to survive in these conditions.

Wessels also believed that Ishant Sharma will play a valuable role in the team going forward. He stressed the importance of skipper Virat Kohli scoring runs which may be the biggest factor in deciding the outcome of the series.

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