Watch: Ajinkya Rahane takes a marvelous catch against the Aussies

Ajinkya Rahane is a key member of Indian fielding unit, given his flexibility and ability to patrol all parts, and across all formats. He has speed on the ground, the athleticism on the ring, and the soft hands valuable in the close cordon. That he broke the existing record of seven catches by a fielder in a single Test is a reflection of those qualities. In the 2nd ODI against Australia at the Gabba, he pulled off another stunning catch to give India a much-needed breakthrough.

Shaun Marsh and Aaron Finch continued their strong association at the top of the order. No Australian ODI opening partnership has a better average than the 75.42 that Marsh and Finch average for their stands. It took a magnificent catch to end the partnership, when Finch on 71 lifted Ravindra Jadeja to long-off and Rahane snared it low to the ground. Running in he dived ahead and grabbed the inches above the ground.

India’s other missed opportunities cost them dearly as the Aussies again made a meal of a 300 plus target. Shaun Marsh was living dangerously and when on 19 he didn’t quite get hold of a Jadeja ball and sent a lofted drive straight to Ishant Sharma at long-on. Running in, Ishant attempted to take the catch at midriff height with fingers pointed down only to spill a relatively simple chance. Marsh, on 22 this time, flashed hard and edged a ball from R Ashwin over Rahane’s head.

Another let-off for Marsh was in the slips when a diving Manish Pandey was unable to grasp an outside edge off Ishant Sharma. A straightforward run-out chance also went begging when Ashwin at the bowler’s end committed a school boy error of not getting behind the stumps to collect the ball. The momentum of the game swung the home team’s way as India lost its way in the field. It was only Rahane and a flying Barinder Sran, who somehow got hands to almost pull off an impossible catch, that stood out in the field for the visitors on a disappointing evening.

Watch: Ajinkya Rahane takes a marvelous catch against the Aussies:

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