"We want Ajinkya Rahane's runs as well as his catches" - Pravin Amre

Apart from leading Team India in the remaining three Border-Gavaskar Tests and performing with the bat, skipper Ajinkya Rahane will also be expected to take his catches in the slip region. That was pointed out by former India player Pravin Amre during an interaction with Sportskeeda’s Indranil Basu on SK Live

The role of Ajinkya Rahane, arguably India’s safest slip fielder since Rahul Dravid, in the slip cordon becomes all the more significant in the wake of India’s horror show in Adelaide.

Speaking about Ajinkya Rahane’s prowess as a slip fieldsman, former India batsman Pravin Amre attributed his younger compatriot's success to his relentless practice in the nets.

In the Facebook interaction, Amre said that one need to see Ajinkya Rahane's practice sessions to understand why he is such a safe slip fielder, saying in this regard:

“(It’s all due to) His preparations. You should also see his practice sessions. How many catches he takes.”

The 52-year-old further said that as every Indian bowler is different, Ajinkya Rahane adopts a different 'catching' method for every bowler, which explains why the stand-in captain is such a prolific catcher. Amre said in this regard:

“Every bowler in Team India is different. Taking a catch against Jadeja is different, and taking a catch against Ashwin is different. That is what I think he has learned from his role model Rahul Dravid.”

Ajinkya Rahane is carrying forward the legacy of Rahul Dravid, says Amre

Reminding that Ajinkya Rahane holds the record of taking the most catches in a Test by a non-wicketkeeper (eight vs Sri Lanka, Galle 2015), the former Mumbai batsman opined that his younger compatriot is carrying on the legacy of Rahul Dravid. Amre said in this regard:

“I think he is following Rahul Dravid footsteps. He is as safe as Dravid in the slip cordon, which is very important.”

Before signing off, Amre, who played 11 Tests and 37 ODIs, concluded by saying:

“We want his runs as well as his catches.”

Heading into the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, Ajinkya Rahane has 4245 runs in 66 matches at an average of 42.45 with 11 hundreds and 22 fifties.

Ajinkya Rahane also has 83 catches to his credit. Dravid holds the record of taking the most catches in Test cricket — 210.

Getting ready!Snapshots from #TeamIndia's practice session at the MCG. 📷Getty Images Australia pic.twitter.com/Uia84yrvxR

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 23, 2020

India are 0-1 down in their ongoing four-match Test series after getting hammered by eight wickets in the Adelaide opener.

In that game, Ajinkya Rahane made 42 in the first innings but was responsible for running out Virat Kohli which, according to many, was one of the turning points of the Test.

In the second innings, Rahane was dismissed without scoring as India crumbled to 36 all out. As captain, Rahane has the unenviable task of lifting India out of a massive hole come Boxing Day.