Delhi: India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar on Saturday said that Rahane would be very disappointed with the way he has been dismissed but also exuded confidence when he said that the right-hander would, ‘bounce back.’
The ongoing India-Sri Lanka series has been about the dominant Indian batting where nearly all the batsmen got runs. But the right-handed Ajinkya Rahane isn’t among them and he seems to have a torrid time with the willow.
The Mumbai batsman has always been an important part of the Indian line-up in Tests and has even done well on overseas tours. But in the current home series, all he could manage is just 7 runs from 4 innings which is indeed a matter of concern.
“He (Rahane) would be disappointed in the manner he got out. He is somebody who works hard on his game, like all players do. May be last match (trying to square cut off- spinner Dilruwan Perera) and this match (stumped off Sandakan), he erred in shot selection,” said Bangar after the first day’s play at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
“I think that would be hurting him definitely but he is a quality player. And going forward, even his overseas record has been phenomenal. Yeah, he would be disappointed. He is a quality player and has the ability to bounce back quickly,” he further added.
Bangar also talked about Rahane’s quality as an overseas player and said that he is too good a player to have a lean patch for a long time.
“He is one of the few players who has scored in every overseas country we have toured. That shows the quality he possesses. He is a quality player who has always performed when the chips are down for the team. He will be hurting with the kind of dismissals he has had but he is too good a player to not score runs for a long time,” he said.
When asked as to what kind of role would someone like him play for Rahane at this point of time, he replied saying that it’s all about doing away with the negative mindset.
“I think a coach should be consistent in his interactions with a particular player. Every player wants to work on a certain aspect of his game and raise the bar. Irrespective of a player’s form, our preparation is similar. As far as confidence is concerned, if any player is not in good form, it also depends on his attitude – whether negative thoughts have crept in or not.
“We have to ensure how one can counter and transform the negative thoughts into positive ones. These are things we discuss. The hunger is same in all players,” he said.
Bangar, a former Railways captain further added that a player’s form is what is given the maximum importance while selecting him in the playing XI.
“The team management is very clear that the current form and the way in which the mindset of a player is going to be is paramount while picking the final XI,” he said.