India vs England: Rohit Sharma form a worry? Ajinkya Rahane comes up with this reply

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Chennai, February 12: Questions were raised over Rohit Sharma's form after he scored six and 12 runs in the first Test match against England but India Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has backed the opener to come good in upcoming games.

Rahane said one or two bad games don't define Rohit's form. The vice-captain praised Rohit and said everyone knows that he can score some big runs once he is set. "Rohit is an important member of our team. A big score doesn't imply that you have to score a century or 150. He made important contributions in Australia. You can't judge a player over 4-6 innings or one or two matches," said Rahane.

"You need to back your players and Rohit is the kind of cricketer who has won matches for India. We know when Rohit gets set he scores big. We're really happy to have Rohit in the team," he added.

Former cricketers including Ricky Ponting had also questioned Cheteshwar Pujara's slow approach during the Australia tour but Rahane backed the batsman and said Pujara knows his role and game.

Pujara registered his slowest fifty in Test cricket during the third Test against Australia and Ponting had said the batsman's slow batting created an unwanted pressure on the non-striker who had to compensate for his slow approach.

Rahane also backed Pujara's playing style and said his role is very important and crucial for the Indian team.

"No one questioned his approach (slow) about his batting in the team and that's what matters. What people talk outside doesn't matter to us. We know Pujara's role and how crucial he is for our team and we are really happy with the way he played in Australia and the way he is playing right now.

"His role very important for us and we back him completely on how he wants to play. He knows his game really well. he has played 80 odd Test matches. No one questioned his ability or how he played in Australia," said Rahane.

India all-rounder Axar Patel has recovered completely and is now available for selection for the second Test. "Everyone is in the mix, the good thing is that Axar is fit to play. All our spinners are really good and if given a chance I'm sure they will do really well," said Rahane.