On the eve of the opening Test against South Africa in Centurion, India head coach Rahul Dravid said middle-order batter Ajinkya Rahane is in good space.
Notably, Rahane averages just over 19 in Tests this year. He has been removed as Test vice-captain heading into the South Africa tour.
With Shreyas Iyer doing well in the recent home series against New Zealand, Rahane will be under a lot of pressure to perform if given a chance.
"Conversation with Ajinkya Rahane has been very positive and very good. He has trained very good this week and practised really well. It's been no different to actually any conversation with most of the players. He seems to be in a really good space," Dravid said in the virtual press conference on Saturday (December 25), as quoted by ANI.
Earlier this year, India won the Test series in Australia to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Virat Kohli-led side was also leading 2-1 in England, but the Test series ended prematurely due to COVID cases in the visiting camp.
No wonder, there is a lot of expectations from Team India as they are eyeing their maiden Test series win on South African soil.
"Hopefully, we keep improving as a Test team and keep getting better as a group. Virat's played a huge role in that. As a player and leader, he's been fantastic. Certainly looking forward to keep that carrying forward from him. He's one of those who really love Test cricket, hopefully, he has a great series. That will benefit the team as well," Dravid said.
When asked about not playing warm-up matches before the Test series, the coach replied: "That's just the way things are at the moment. Kind of schedules we are working with, as with the COVID situation and bubbles, it's not always easy to get what you want. But the team have really responded well, we have really worked hard with the centre-wicket session."
The Test series between India and South Africa is part of the second World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
After the first Test in Centurion from December 26-30, both teams will square off in the second Test in Johannesburg from January 3-7 while the third and final Test will be played in Cape Town from January 11-15.
(With ANI inputs)
