India batter Ajinkya Rahane felt the second Test against South Africa at the Wanderers presents his team a chance to start afresh and give their best over the next five days. He also admitted his disappointment from the dismissals in the first Test at Centurion. Rahane made stroke-filled 48 and 20 in both innings of the Centurion Test.
“I love this ground. I love to play here as I get very good vibes from this ground. Last time when we played here, we played some really good cricket. We started off really well in the first Test match. It’s all about, again, starting from scratch. The beauty of Test matches is you start from zero every time, whether you win or lose. It’s all about starting fresh and giving our best from today,” said Rahane in a pre-match chat with the broadcasters.
Asked about his assessment of the 113-run win in the first Test, Rahane remarked, “Our performance as a team was really good in the last Test in all departments — batting, bowling and fielding. But, in this Test match, we need to adjust to these new conditions and play accordingly. The first hour, either in batting or bowling, will be really crucial in this Test match.”
Rahane looked good at the crease before getting out while playing the cut and hook respectively. He acknowledged his mode of dismissals wasn’t great.
“I am feeling really good mentally. It’s all about converting those starts into big ones. I think it is a matter of spending more balls and playing to my ability. I batted well in the last match, but was disappointed with the way I got out in both the innings. In this game, I will start afresh and believe in my ability and staying in the present as a batsman.”
The 33-year-old signed off by saying that India will look to be in the present at the Wanderers.
“We like to stay in the present. We celebrated a bit (first Test win) but we know, just one Test match and with two more matches to go, so it’s all about needing to be positive, stay in the present and give our best.”
