'This is what you find with lot of Mumbai batsmen': Sunil Gavaskar dissects Ajinkya Rahane’s dismissal
India vs England: Moeen Ali dismissed Ajinkya Rahane for the seventh time in Test matches.
Sunil Gavaskar weighed in on the dismissal of Ajinkya Rahane in India’s second innings on Day 3 of the second Test against England in Chennai. Rahane hit back-to-back boundaries to move to 10 before getting out bat pad off Moeen Ali coming down the wicket. It was the seventh time Ali had dismissed Rahane in Test matches, something which Gavaskar called excellent. The former India captain however said the charging down the wicket to a spinner is something that is taught to all batsmen who have grown up playing their cricket in Mumbai.
Also Read | India vs England Live Score, 2nd Test, Day 3
Sunil Gavaskar weighed in on the dismissal of Ajinkya Rahane in India’s second innings on Day 3 of the second Test against England in Chennai. Rahane hit back-to-back boundaries to move to 10 before getting out bat pad off Moeen Ali coming down the wicket. It was the seventh time Ali had dismissed Rahane in Test matches, something which Gavaskar called excellent. The former India captain however said the charging down the wicket to a spinner is something that is taught to all batsmen who have grown up playing their cricket in Mumbai.
Also Read | India vs England Live Score, 2nd Test, Day 3
“What Rahane tends to do is go down the pitch. This is generally what you find with a lot of Mumbai batsmen. Mumbai batsmen are told and encouraged to go down the pitch to the spinners, try and get as close to the ball as possible,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
“Because he had done that in the earlier deliveries as well, this time around, Moeen Ali shortened his length and made sure that the ball was not on good length and just short of it. Ajinkya Rahane was nowhere close to the ball. The ball also gripped a little bit and that was it. So very good bowling this by Ajinkya Rahane? Seventh time… excellent stuff.”
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With India in a strong position in the Test, Gavaskar talked the World Test Championships scenario. With New Zealand in the final already, the battle is between India, England and Australia to join them in the final. In order for India to make it to the final, they need to beat England 2-1 in the series. Gavaskar mentioned that although the home team would have been under a bit of pressure after losing the first Test, it should regain the confidence following their thumping show in the second Test.
“I think India after having lost the first Test, would have been worried because they had to win by a 2-1 margin and suddenly one Test is gone, three Tests remaining. And they’ve got to win in two of the three Tests and the next one is a pink-ball Test and with England’s new ball attack, the pink ball Test is not going to be easy for India,” Gavaskar said.
“So clearly, they have to win here and then maybe win the fourth Test in Ahmedabad as well. They can win the third one as well, because India’s new ball attack is also very good.”
