Ajinkya Rahane is one of the upcoming youngsters in the Indian batting lineup, but it was his catching ability that grabbed headlines as he created history in the first Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle. Rahane became the first cricketer in the history of Test matches to take eight catches in a single match.
India have had some splendid slip catchers in the past, which includes former cricketers such as Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Mohammed Azharuddin. They were as safe as a bank when it came to pocketing a catch in the slips.
it might be too early to put Rahane in that bracket of slip catchers, but the world record is a step in the right direction.
Rahane revealed he had a chat with Rahul Dravid about some key points while standing in the slip cordon and it seems to have paid dividends with his impressive catching in the ongoing Test match.
"We had a very good talk during IPL about what he used to do when he used to stand in the slips," PTI quoted Rahane as saying.
"He (Dravid) told me that focus and concentration were really important things. In Tests sometimes the ball will not come for a long time and suddenly you have to grab that one chance that comes. That temperament has to be there and I have been working on my slip catching and my overall fielding."
Slip catching is a skill, which takes time to master and with Dravid having given him some golden tips, one can feel the slip cordon is in safe hands with Rahane in the team. Rahane admitted he was unaware about the world record.
"I didn't know until Murali Vijay and Umesh Yadav came on during a break, and told me that this is a world record for you," Rahane said.
"I was quite surprised, I didn't know about it. I feel in this team, any player can stand anywhere. Every individual has the ability to stand anywhere and all are brilliant fielders."
