England Test series a test of mind & character: Rahane
London, July 30 : India's vice captain Ajinkya Rahane on Monday said the upcoming Test match rubber against England will be a test of mind and character, adding that making quick adjustments according to the demands will be key.
Ahead of the opening Test starting in Birmingham on Wednesday, he also said that as per the skill-set, both teams are at par.
"It is a test of mind and character. Communication in these conditions crucial. We will have to respect the conditions," Rahane told reporters.
"Our mindset is to how quickly you adjustment rather than thinking about the skill-set. Skill-wise both teams are at par. It is all about how quickly you handle the situations," he added.
Rahane said the team is not thinking about the results as it can only put the players under-pressure. He also mentioned that the patience is the key to success while playing England.
"We were here in 2014 and we know what it takes to play good cricket here in England. Thinking about results put pressure on yourself," Rahane said.
"Patience is key because it depends on the weather. If it is sunny, good to bat. If it is gets cloudy, good for bowlers. As a batting unit, it is important to challenge yourself, backing your game. If you are set, you need to hold back and need to make it count," he added.
Asked about the conditions in England and the pace bowlers Rahane said: "We have experienced pace bowlers like Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav. They played here in 2014 as well. Our bowling attack took 20 wickets in each Tests in South Africa. So, we have an attack which actually can destruct the opponents. The main challenge is to bowl in right areas for the long period of time," Rahane said.
India only played one warm-up game, and that too was cut short by a day. Commenting about the preparations, the right-hand batsman said: "We have had decent practice sessions and enough net sessions. We are taking one Test at a time and really looking forward to the series."
Praising chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, Rahane said: "Kuldeep can be the X-factor for us, especially the way he bowled in T20Is and ODIs. At the moment I am not sure about the team combination and we will have to see what the wicket will be like."
However, Rahane said that his selection in the team is not given. "We don't have to forget (Ravichandran) Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja -- they have been doing well for us. Ashwin has been bowling well and contributes with the bat as well," he reasoned.
Rahane was also confident that top-order bstsmen Cheteshwar Pujara and Shikhar Dhawan -- who have looked off-colour so far -- will return to form as soon as possible.
"We are not worried about them. They are quality batsmen and we all back them. It just takes one innings (to hit form)," he said.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
