"He is under immense pressure" - Zaheer Khan on Ajinkya Rahane's struggles ahead of South Africa vs India

Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan believes Ajinkya Rahane is under immense pressure ahead of the upcoming Test series against South Africa. The 33-year old has struggled with the bat of late, scoring only 411 runs in 12 Tests this year at an average of 19.57.

Zaheer Khan suggested that Rahane will need to display a degree of mental toughness to get out of this rough patch. He also added that the middle-order batter is just one knock away from getting back to where he belongs.

Speaking to the Times of India in an interview, Zaheer Khan said:

"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."

Sharing his own experiences, Zaheer said that Rahane needs to face these challenges 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."

Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane

Zaheer Khan also spoke about Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been under the pump in recent times. He suggested that Rahane and Pujara should shut out the noise and focus on their respective games.

Regarding the ideal playing XI for the Boxing Day Test, Zaheer Khan said that these decisions should be left to the management. He added that the best combination should be picked based on the conditions.

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"Big opportunity right now to win a series in South Africa" - Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan fondly recalled some of the victories he enjoyed with Team India in South Africa as well. Remembering those matches, he said:

"We have had quite a few wins in South Africa. The victories in Wanderers, the victory in Durban. I remember those wins fondly. We also came very close to winning a series in South Africa but we couldn't."

The 43-year-old seemed hopeful that Team India would be triumphant in the Rainbow Nation this time:

"For this Indian team, there is a big opportunity right now to win a series in South Africa. The kind of consistency this Test team has shown, there is no reason to think otherwise. Team India has got a great chance of winning a series in South Africa. I am sure they will put up a great show."

The first of the three-match Test series will begin on 26 December at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.