Australian bowling is strong, but India favourites: Ajinkya Rahane

The Indians were criticised both in South Africa and England for not preparing well enough before the Test series and thus, the BCCI has requested for extra practice matches in Australia before the Tests commence.

India might not have won the Test series in South Africa and England, but they had their moments in both the countries. However, the team was not able to drive home the advantage and conceded the series. Their next big assignment will be up against Australia later this month, and there is a sense of optimism in the ranks about the task at hand.

Rahane wants to guard against complacency (AP)

India’s Test vice-captain does believe that India will be the favourites in the absence of David Warner and Steve Smith, but then wants to guard against complacency.

“ The Australian team is definitely unpredictable, even with the absence of Warner and Smith. I think we are favourites for the Australia tour but when a team plays at home they know the conditions well. Australia’s bowling is very strong and it will be a good tour,” he said at the Ekamra Sports Literary Festival.

The Indians were criticised both in South Africa and England for not preparing well enough before the Test series and thus, the BCCI has requested for extra practice matches in Australia before the Tests commence.

“In South Africa, we hardly got any time. As a team, we feel we need 10 to 15 days before the start of the series and in Australia, we are getting that time and playing a 4-day match,” Rahane said.

Amidst the ongoing debate over the health and future of Test cricket, Rahane said that parents should bring children along with them and players should interact with them to create more awareness.

“The way Indian team has played Test cricket in the last two years, people have been coming to watch us. I think school children should be brought in and made to interact with players and give them refreshments. That will help create awareness about cricket. Like in England and Australia kids are brought to the ground and made to play interactive games, we should do that here. Also, create contests and winners should be allowed to meet players. Need to win over the young and new fans for Test cricket to survive and flourish,” India’s Test vice-captain assessed.

The inaugural Test Championship will start in July 2019 and finish with a final, scheduled to take place in June 2021. It will feature nine of the twelve Test-playing nations. It has been proposed to give more importance to Test cricket and add context to every match which is being played. There have also been suggestions made to divide the teams into 2 tiers in order to get more competitiveness in matches and get rid of one-sided affairs.

“Don’t want to comment on that but every team goes through a transition and right now some teams like West Indies are going through the same. Don’t want to compare. But all teams are good,” Rahane said.