Ajinkya Rahane is as good a player as Kohli in Test cricket: Sourav Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly heaped praises on spin ace Ravichandran Ashwin after the Tamil Nadu lad bailed India out of trouble on the 2nd day of the 3rd Test against England at Mohali.

The stylish left-hander felt that the top order batsmen should learn a thing or two from Ashwin, who has been India’s premier all-rounder and has performed under immense pressure.

India were comfortably placed at 148/2 at tea before Rashid struck twice in quick succession to derail the Indian middle order. India lost three wickets quickly to slump to 156/5. Pujara, Rahane and debutant Karun Nair were all back in the pavilion within a span of 8 runs. Ashwin first stitched together a 48 run partnership with his captain Kohli and then was involved in a 67 run unbeaten partnership with Ravindra Jadeja to finish the day. India finished the day at 271/6 still 12 runs adrift of the English total. Ashwin was batting on 57 while Jadeja was not out on 31.

“This was not the first time. Ashwin has done that number of times and he keeps doing it. He has got such good technique and such good footwork on the crease. His batting looks so easy.”

“He has been remarkable with the bat since the tour of West Indies. He has just got better and better. The best part of batting is that every time India need him, he stands up and delivers. It has been a remarkable performance from Ashwin,” Ganguly told India Today.

Ganguly also stressed the Indian top order to learn a thing or two from Ashwin on how to play in the toughest of situations.

“His batting has improved by leaps and bounds and when you see him play he is technically so sound. The biggest challenge for him will have the effectiveness with his bowling when travels abroad. His past record hasn’t shown that. The amount of wickets he has got in India is a lot more than away from the subcontinent. He has become a lot more experienced since he last travelled to Australia or England. He seems very happy to play under Virat Kohli’s leadership. From that point of view, he knows he is India’s go-to man, the most valuable player. That is a huge confidence boost for any player.”

The southpaw defended Ajinkya Rahane and stated he was as good a batsman as Kohli in Tests.

“Ajinkya Rahane is as good a player as Kohli in Test cricket for India. It is just a patch of three Test matches where he has struggled. He just needs to take it out of his head. He is a very intense cricketer. There should not be a worry regarding his place in India’s Test side and it is just a matter of time,” Ganguly concluded.