‘Rahane more chilled out, less emotional than Kohli’
Was it another attempt at having a go at his counterpart or an endorsement to his IPL team mate?
Australia skipper Steve Smith said on Friday that India will be in good hands under Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy should Virat Kohli miss out due to injury.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play a fair bit of cricket with Ajinkya and he reads the game and really well,” Smith told a news conference.
The Aussie will lead Rahane at Rising Pune Supergiant this season.
“Rahane did a great job as captain in Virat’s absence in Ranchi. He is a bit more chilled out than Kohli and is not that emotional. If Virat misses this match the good hands.”
After two rank turners, in Pune and Bangalore, and a slow pitch in Ranchi where the visitors held out for a draw, the HPCA Stadium pitch may suit the Aussies better.
However, Smith said, “I am not good at assessing wickets. There is some grass and it looks dry underneath. It will take a reasonable amount of spin as the game progresses. It will be important to post a big total on this pitch ” series expectations against a strong India side, and Smith believes execution of plans was crucial in their success.
“The pleasing thing is we are executing our game-plans out in the middle,” he said.
Australia, who have struggled in the subcontinent, took great pains to prepare for this series. The build-up culminated with a stint in Dubai, where turning tracks were laid out to simulate the conditions they could expect.dharamsala could end a 13-year wait.