Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan feels that despite being under pressure and in poor form, Ajinkya Rahane is only one inning away from bouncing back.

Ajinkya Rahane’s performances with the bat of late have been one of the main concerns for Team India. The right-hander averages just over 19 in Tests this year and his poor form was the prime reason for him being replaced as the Test vice-captain. 

Despite not making an impact with the bat, Ajinkya Rahane somehow managed to make a cut into the Indian squad for the three-match Test series against South Africa. 

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But with the likes of in-form Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari in the squad, it is likely that Rahane may not feature in the playing XI for Tests. But if given chance it’ll be fair to say that it might be his last opportunity to stake his claim in the Indian side. 

Speaking to Times of India, Zaheer Khan admitted that Ajinkya Rahane will be under immense pressure. He urged the right-hander to have self-belief and mental toughness to come out of it and said that he’s only one inning away from making a comeback. 

“There have been mixed performances for Ajinkya Rahane. There is no doubt about it. He is under immense pressure. That is the fact. For any cricketer, to go through this kind of phase, you've got to have that mental toughness to come out of it. The good part is that you are still there and you are one inning away. As a batsman or cricketer, you should have such a belief," Zaheer Khan said. 

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Zaheer Khan further shared a piece of advice for Ajinkya Rahane, saying that the right-hander should have a belief that he’s only one good knock away from good performance. He pointed out that Rahane needs to accept the challenge and face them head-on.

"Through my personal experience, if someone is going through a rough patch, you've got to have that belief that you are just one inning or one good knock away from that good performance. If you hit that, things change very fast as well. This is what I would advise Ajinkya at this stage. As a cricketer, you need to accept these challenges and take them head-on," he said. 

First Test between South Africa and India will be played on 26th at SuperSport Park, Centurion. It remains to be seen if Ajinkya Rahane will feature in the playing XI or not. 

(TOI Inputs)