Ajinkya Rahane Is Safe As Rahul Dravid In The Slip Cordon - Pravin Amre

Former India batsman, Pravin Amre heaps praises on Ajinkya Rahane as a fielder. While the Indian fielding continuous to be disappointing on the Australia tour, Ajinkya Rahane will look to lift the spirit with his fielding- as Virat Kohli did with a superb catch of Cameron Green in the first Test.

Indian fielders dropped catches of the Aussie batsmen in Adelaide – Marnus Labuschagne and Tim Paine scored vital runs after given a reprieve – just like they did in the limited-overs match preceding the Test series.

Ajinkya Rahane will lead the side in the Boxing Day Test and the two matches after that as Virat Kohli returned home to attend the birth of his child. The 32-year-old has plenty to think about not only about the team combination – making 4 changes in the eleven – but also about the confidence in the team after a shameful display of fielding and batting in Adelaide.

We want his runs as well as his catches: Pravin Amre

Pravin Amre said that Rahane works really hard in practicing his catches. He points out that Rahane is adept in slip catching off every bowler- be it a pacer, or the variety of spinners.

“(It’s all due to) His preparations. You should also see his practice sessions. How many catches he takes. Every bowler in Team India is different. Taking a catch against Jadeja is different, and taking a catch against Ashwin is different,” Pravin Amre told Sportskeeda.

The 52-year-old says that Rahane is following Rahul Dravid’s footsteps when it comes to slip catching. Amre believes that the Delhi Capitals opener is safe as the former India legend in the slips. He opines that Rahane will have to step up and lead the side in Melbourne- with the bat as well as in the field.

Dravid took 209 catches as a fielder – not wicket-keeper  – in 299 Test innings- 0.698 catches per innings. Rahane is close to Dravid in catching efficiency- he has 83 grabs in 126 innings at 0.658 catches per innings.

“That is what I think he has learned from his role model Rahul Dravid. I think he is following in Rahul Dravid’s footsteps. He is as safe as Dravid in the slip cordon, which is very important. We want his runs as well as his catches,” Parvin Amre added.

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