Former England skipper heaps praises on Ajinkya Rahane for his imperative innings

Just days after receiving a lot of flak from Indian fans for comparing MS Dhoni with England gloveman Jos Butler, Michael Vaughan has returned to their good books for lauding Ajinkya Rahane’s efforts in the ongoing third Test against South Africa. He was dropped from the squad owing to his bad form for the first two fixtures but provided a strong hit to the chin of the critics with his clinical innings of 48.

Batting on a dubious Wanderers pitch, the right-hander looked a class apart on a surface which became more and more difficult with each delivery. He looked in sublime form notching up six sensational hits to the fence. A lynchpin in India’s batting lineup, the 29-year-old has been a proven contender in overseas conditions. His innings proved crucial as India succeeded in posting a competitive total of 240 on an extremely dicey Johannesburg pitch.

Following Rahane’s imperative knock, former English skipper Michael Vaughan took to Twitter to praise the right-hander and said it is always a delight to watch him bat. Vaughn wrote, “Love the way Ajinkya Rahane Bats ….. Pure class …. #SAvIND.”

You can see the Tweet below

Love the way Ajinkya Rahane Bats ….. Pure class …. #SAvIND

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) January 26, 2018

Match Details

In a Test match that could’ve turned fortunes for the Indian team, the day 3 was called off as a result of unplayable playing conditions. The pitch did show some dangerous features when Ajinkya Rahane was batting. However, India continued to play without being bothered as they were determined to convert this advantageous position into a winning one.

Chasing 241, South Africa lost Aiden Markram early on as Shami drew first blood. However, there was a lot of uneven bounce on the surface. After a ball hit Dean Elgar on the helmet, match referee interrupted as the umpires called off the game for a day. Thus, with an Indian victory looming around the corner, there was an overall disappointment after the game got abandoned.

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