Ajinkya Rahane put his support behind Yashasvi Jaiswal to succeed in England in the 5-match Test series. “Personally, I’m really looking forward to seeing Yashasvi Jaiswal do well because opening the batting in England is really important,” Rahane said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“He has the game for it — he can control one end and also go on the attack when needed. So I’m really looking forward to seeing Jaiswal perform in England,” he added.
Jaiswal, meanwhile, got off to a decent start in the 1st Test at Leeds on Friday.
The Mumbai captain also said that he was also looking forward to see Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in action in what would be a pretty difficult series.
“I also want to see Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah do well because, as senior campaigners, they have the responsibility to lead the attack and pick up wickets for the team,” Rahane said.
“We all know Bumrah is an excellent bowler and a proven wicket-taker, but I’d like to see him take that extra responsibility and help the team get through challenging situations, because winning a Test series in England is always very special,” he added.
Rahane, who had led an injury plagued India side to a memorable series win against Australia in 2020-21, said that new skipper Shubman Gill will do well both as a batter and a skipper. Gill was appointed captain after Rohit Sharma retired from the longest format last month.
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“I think it’s going to be a challenging task for Shubman because in Test cricket I always believe you have to be proactive as a captain. I’m sure Shubman will do well, but it will take time because captaining in T20s and ODIs is completely different,” he said.
“In the Test format, sometimes you have to stay one or two steps ahead of your opponents, talk to your bowlers, and plan things with them. So, it’s going to be a challenging task for him, but I’m sure he will do well as both a skipper and a batter,” Rahane added.
