Admitting that the Indian team will miss MS Dhoni as a captain, Ajinkya Rahane has backed the team to do well under new skipper Virat Kohli.
Dhoni was under pressure for quite some time now both as a skipper as well as a batsman but Rahane is expecting the 35-year old to turn back the clock after being relieved of the captaincy.
Speaking to bcci.tv, Rahane said: “We will miss Dhoni bhai as a captain as he is so experienced. Dhoni bhai will have less responsibility and we all want to see him bat as he uses to bat in his earlier days.”
“I am sure the team will do very good under Virat Kohli, we want to continue playing our own brand of cricket,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai lad also expressed his happiness after leading India A to a comprehensive win over England in the second practice game.
The right-handed batsman, who was going through a lean phase before getting injured during the Test series against England, returned in style as his 83-ball 91 helped his team to chase down England’s 282 with utmost ease.
Speaking on his comeback, Rahane said: “I was very excited at the same time I was nervous as I was playing after a one month break. I was looking forward to the game and I had a good net session before the game.”
“I am very happy with the way I batted, initially I took my time and later on I just wanted to play and regain my confidence. In the end, I also got to spend time in the middle,” he added.
He also had a word of praise for 19-year old batsman Rishabh Pant who has been turning heads with his impressive batting prowess in the domestic circuit. Coming from a brilliant outing in the Ranji Trophy, where he scored 972 runs in only 8 matches including a triple century, the left-handed batsman proved his worth again with an impressive 36-ball 59-knock in the practice game.
“He’s (Pant) a very exciting young prospect, he did very well in the domestic season as well, so, it’s very good for him that he’s got selected for India. He will get to learn a lot by playing with the senior cricketers,” Rahane concluded.