Former India batsman Pravin Amre has come out and said that the role of the middle-order batsmen during the five-Test series in England must not be understated and he especially emphasised the importance of Ajinkya Rahane to Virat Kohli's team. 

Pravin, who has seen Rahane's game inside out from his growing up days till now, reiterated why it is important that India backs one of their gems and hopes that Ajinkya comes back to vintage best. 

Rahane may be going through a drought of runs but he has played two decisive knocks in India's last two overseas wins in Lord's and Johannesburg and has an overall excellent overseas record. 

Pravin talked about Rahane to Sportstar and said, “For a batsman, scoring in England is personally crucial as it is challenging. It is a difficult ask when you are not in the team. But he should not worry about the past. Right now, he is playing in the Indian team as a batsman and a vice-captain, which will be motivating for him,” 

"As a key batsman at No.5, he has a role to play. He is going to enjoy the responsibilities. The break was a blessing in disguise as we had ample time for the preparations. We were focusing on one format, instead of three, so it was more relaxing. We knew the conditions and we tried to prepare accordingly.” 

“In England, the problem is that you can’t predict the weather. There will be days that are overcast. If the ball is not swinging, it is easier but it will be dangerous once it does. But Rahane has a tremendous record abroad,” 

Ajinkya Rahane will know this could well be the career-defining series for him and he'll be extremely determined to set things right.