'Rahane not emotional'

Australia captain Steve Smith believed Ajinkya Rahane would step up do a fine job for India, in case an injured Virat Kohli had to skip the fourth Test.

“I think they’ll be fine. I think Ajinkya Rahane will probably step up to captain their side. I thought he did a pretty good job last week when he was out on the field in Virat’s absence, so, I’m confident he’ll be able to do a good job for them,” Smith told reporters on Friday.

When asked how Rahane as a captain was different from Kohli, Smith quipped: “He’s probably a bit more chilled out, out on the field? Probably not quite as emotional? But, no, look, I think he understands the game really well. I’ve been fortunate enough to play a fair bit of cricket with Ajinkya, and he understands the game really well. If Virat was to miss this Test match, then I’m sure the Indian side will still be in very good hands.”

Smith was pleased in the manner in which they fought in the series. “We’ve worked very hard, guys have been pretty clear in the way they’ve wanted to play and the game plans they’ve been able to formulate. For me, the most pleasing thing is we’ve been able to take it out in the middle.

We’ve talked a lot, for many years, and we’ve said the right things and we’ve got plans in place, but once we’ve got out in the middle, we haven’t been able to put them together.”
On the pitch, Smith observed, “Although there is some grass out there, it still looks a bit dry underneath. I think it’ll take a reasonable amount of spin as the game goes on.”