Former India captain Ajinkya Rahane believes the Indian batters must take the attack to Sri Lanka’s spinners in the upcoming two-Test series which is scheduled to start from August 15.
Rahane knows what it takes to succeed in Sri Lankan conditions. During India’s 3-0 Test series win in 2017, he scored more than 200 runs, including a century and a half-century, and played a key role in the team’s dominant performance.
Looking ahead to the new series, Rahane said Indian batters should avoid getting stuck in a defensive approach, especially on pitches that are expected to help spin later in the match.
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“I think in Sri Lanka, the first day wicket generally is very good. But being top of the bowler as a batsman is very important. That’s what I have learned in Sri Lanka. You cannot be too defensive,” Rahane, who recently announced his retirement, told PTI in an interview facilitated by ETPL.
He pointed out that Sri Lanka’s spin attack will pose a serious challenge and said India must look to stay positive with the bat.
“You have to probably be more proactive because they will have spin friendly wickets, and Sri Lanka do have decent spinners in their side. And again, a home team is always a tough team to beat. Whatever I’ve learned playing cricket for so many years, you can’t take anyone for lightly.
“So it’s all about, I think, having your own game plan as an individual and being proactive. Even in Test cricket, it’s going to be the key,” he added.
Rahane also spoke about how Test cricket has changed in recent years, with the influence of T20 cricket becoming more visible in the longer format.
“The game has evolved massively. Talking about Test cricket, you see now a lot many T20 players do play in Test cricket as well. The scoop, the laps, switch hit, reverse sweep are being played and that too consistently. I think it is a very good thing,” he said.
According to Rahane, modern-day cricketers must be ready to adjust quickly as they move between different formats throughout the season.
“The players need to adapt to different formats very quickly because that’s the mindset you want now.
“As soon as the Test gets over, probably within a week, you’re playing T20, you’re playing ODIs or after T20, you are straight away going into Test cricket.
“So having that mindset, the adaptability is really, really important. So in the last two, three years, the game has gone up immensely,” he noted.
Rahane added that bowlers have also developed new skills to keep pace with the changing demands of the game.
“We have seen several variations in bowling, as we have seen seam-up and wobble seam probably. Bowlers are now probably looking to bowl yorkers in Test cricket as well. Previously, we have not seen fast bowlers bowling yorkers that regularly in Test cricket, except a few bowlers.
“But now, that’s the demand and probably the variation everyone wants. And still as a cricketer, you have to keep on evolving skill-wise every single time,” he added.