Team India’s South African adventure will get underway on Sunday (December 26) as Virat Kohli’s men will be poised to stamp their authority against the Proteas. Head coach Rahul Dravid, on Saturday (December 25) took to the media and spoke about the team’s preparation in the build-up to the Boxing Day Test. He feels former vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is in the best possible mindset ahead of the opening encounter.
“The conversations have been positive. He has trained well this week. He seems to be in a really good place,” 48-year-old Dravid said.
Rahane’s position in the team is in a spot of bother as he struggled for form with the bat. The right-handed batter hasn’t scored a Test ton in 22 innings, his last triple-figure mark came exactly a year ago against Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) when he scored 112. But has gone an entire year without a hundred, his struggle with form has seen him lose the vice-captaincy to Rohit Sharma. KL Rahul will act as the vice-captain of the side as Rohit was ruled out of the Test series with injury.
Rahul on Friday was full of praise for Rahane and said,“ It is a very very difficult decision. Ajinkya has played crucial knocks for India including the one in Melbourne or in Lord’s recently. He has been a key player for us. Shreyas has taken his chances. Hanuma has also done the same for us. We will have a chat about that on Saturday.”
Cheteshwar Pujara, another member of the squad is also going through a form slump and has gone 43 innings without a hundred as Dravid spoke on him.
“In our conversations, we have been clear. Winning in these sorts of conditions will be down to team performance. We will need contribution from everyone and that’s what the conversation we have had. It is not just about Pujara, Rahane or a Kohli," Dravid added.
The tour will be Dravid’s first away from home, but the selection dilemma will be a big cause of concern as the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari are knocking on the doors. History is not on India’s side, as Team India have never won on a Test series in South Africa. In seven tours the team has won only three matches while losing 10 with the other seven ending in draws.
