'He has a hundred in England and it can be repeated' - Salman Butt backs Ajinkya Rahane

While we speak of the Kohlis and Pujaras of how crucial they are to the Indian team’s chances in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final, one man who often flies under the radar and silently does his job is Ajinjky Rahane. The vice-captain of the Test team doesn’t hog the limelight, but he will score those crucial runs for the team whenever the chips are down.

The elegant right-hand batter was instrumental in India winning the recent series Down Under. His century at the MCG paved the way for the team to perform well in the two Tests that followed. What makes Rahane even more special is his ability to score runs in SENA countries – South Africa, New Zealand, England, and Australia. He has scored eight centuries aboard and the team will look to bank on him during the WTC Final against New Zealand and the five-match Test series to be followed versus England.

The 32-year-old though has not performed well in the past three overseas series versus the SENA countries as he has averaged 22.75, 38.29, and 18.67 against New Zealand, Australia, and England respectively. But Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has backed Rahane to come good sooner than later.

“What is the need to look at the past? He will definitely play as he is the vice-captain of the side. If he does well now (in WTC final), everything from the past will be null and void. I’m sure he is seeing it like that. This is an opportunity. His history of criticism will be turned into zero. He’s a wonderful player. He has a hundred in England and it can be repeated. He has a hundred in Australia, he led the team to victory. There are a lot of positives. It’s people’s choice to see what they want to see,” Salman Butt said on his YouTube channel.

Salman Butt feels Ajinkya Rahane is using criticism to perform well over the years

The right-hand batter admitted that criticism has helped him perform well. Butt too feels this is the right approach and backed Rahane to come well using this as a motivational factor. Apart from his terrific counter-attacking century at Lord’s during the 2014 tour, Rahane doesn’t boast of big numbers, as he has averaged just 29.26 in 10 Tests in England.