Rahane: India won’t take Australia lightly

– Australia are still favourites to win the four-Test series against India even without Steve Smith and David Warner because of the strength of their bowling attack, Ajinkya Rahane (right) said yesterday.

Many pundits have tipped India to end their 70-year wait for a first Test series triumph in Australia after their top batsmen Smith and Warner were banned for a year following March’s ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.

Rahane, however, was keen to throw the pressure of expectation back on the hosts when the series gets underway in Adelaide tomorrow, and scoffed when he was asked whether Australia would be ripe for the picking.

“Not really,” the India vice-captain told reporters at Adelaide Oval.

“I feel that any team that plays at home, they feel really good, and I think Australia are still the favourites to win the series.

“We won’t take them lightly at all. Yes, they will miss Steve Smith and David Warner but I don’t think they are vulnerable.

“You look at their bowling attack, they’ve got a really good bowling attack, and I think to win Test matches, you need to have a really good bowling attack.

“So I feel Australia are really still the favourites.”

Although not quite reaching the heights of captain Virat Kohli’s 692 runs, Rahane had a good tour the last time India visited Australia in 2014/15 with 399 runs at an average of 57.

India still lost the series 2-0, however, and the 30-year-old suggested the players had learned the importance of contributing to the team effort on that trip.

“This is a team sport ... and it is the job of each and every batsman to contribute for the team. And I think it’s important that we get those long partnerships together.”

Rahane and Kohli did that in the Boxing Day Test on the last tour, putting together a fourth-wicket stand of 262 in India’s first innings with scores of 147 and 169 respectively.

“Last time here, we really enjoyed batting together a lot, especially at the MCG,” Rahane recalled.

“Mitchell Johnson was really going after Virat Kohli and I was at the other end playing my game. Virat at the other end was really aggressive and going after the bowlers.

“I was able to focus on my game, I still attacked but I was completely the opposite to Virat.” –