IND vs SA: KL Rahul answers whether Ajinkya Rahane will play; 'very difficult decision'

India's stand-in Test vice-captain KL Rahul addressed the media on Match Day minus 2 of the India vs South Africa 1st Test. The player was asked about the team's combination and if Ajinkya Rahane will play. 

KL Rahul said that the team will have a few tough choices to make and added that Ajinkya Rahane has been a key member of the Indian team in the past and has played some vital knocks while both Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari have taken their chances and made the most of it. 

"It is a very difficult decision to make, obviously. Ajinkya has been a very important part of our Test team and he has played very crucial knocks in his career. In the last 15-18 months, if I can think back, his knock in Melbourne was really crucial and helped us win a Test match. That partnership with Pujara at Lord’s in the second innings, where he got a fifty, was really important. That ended up in us winning the Test match. So he has been a key player of us in that middle-order. Shreyas, obviously, has taken his chances. He played a brilliant knock in Kanpur, got a hundred. So he is very excited and Hanuma (Vihari) has also done well for us. It’s a tough decision but we’ll start having the chat probably today or tomorrow. You’ll get to know in a couple of days’ time.” he said speaking at the presser ahead of India vs South Africa 1st Test. 

IND vs SA: Will India go with five bowlers or an extra batter? KL Rahul answers

Over the last few years, in overseas conditions, India have preferred going in with five bowlers. When asked if India will be following a similar approach or play and extra batter, KL Rahul said that playing five bowlers eases the pressure off the others and that workload becomes easier and that they are likely to make use of that again in the IND vs SA Test series. 

“Every team wants to pick up 20 wickets. That’s the only way you can win a Test match. We have definitely used that tactic and it has helped us in every Test match that we have played away from India. The workload also becomes slightly easier to manage with five bowlers. When you have that kind of quality, you might as well use it." he added.
 

Image: AP