Virat Kohli's backing gave Ajinkya Rahane a lot of confidence, says Pravin Amre

Ajinkya Rahane was not having a good time on the 22 yards, but his 118-run partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara in the second innings in the Chinnaswamy Stadium played an integral role in India winning the second Test by 75 runs on Tuesday.

Going into the 4 Tests Border-Gavaskar series, Rahane had scores of 13, 18 and 17 in his last three knocks. But the Indian vice-captain hit his 11th Test fifty when it mattered most and helped provide the Indian bowlers with a decent 187 runs to defend on an unpredictable fourth-day wicket.

Speaking to CricketNext, Rahane’s personal coach Pravin Amre said skipper Virat Kohli’s backing has worked wonders for the vice-captain’s confidence.

“See, to be honest, it is never easy to drop someone (Karun Nair) after he has scored a triple hundred. But kudos to Kohli for giving out the right signals in the dressing room. Nair had come in because Rahane was injured. So, when Kohli stood up and made it clear that there was no question of dropping Rahane, it gave the batsman a lot of confidence. Also, when you are going through a tough phase, these things matter.

“I think more than the personal milestone of scoring runs, Rahane’s partnership with Pujara was very important. Anyone who watched the game would know that it wasn’t an easy wicket to bat on. But the two of them combined beautifully and this win will help the overall morale of the team immensely,” he said.

Rahane was out stumped in the first innings, and Amre revealed that he told his ward to avoid stepping down on such a wicket and implement the sweep and the result was seen by one and all.

“He was batting well till an error in judgment saw him get out stumped. To be fair, his intention was to attack and release pressure, but I asked him to do that by implementing the sweep shot and he did that well in the second innings.

Amre went on to say that the knock has now silenced all the critics as Rahane is someone who believes in letting his bat do the talking.

“The Indian team will be playing Test matches away from home after this series and that is where Rahane’s role becomes all the more crucial. So, it was important that he returns to form at the earliest. Also, this win will help the team play the next two Test matches with a lot more confidence and freedom.