India Tour of South Africa: Zaheer Khan Passes on Valuable Advice to Underperforming Ajinkya Rahane Ahead of Test Series

New Delhi: Ajinkya Rahane's performances in the longest format of the game has been worrisome as India's one of top premier batsman in red-ball cricket averages only 24 in the last 16 Tests. He led the side in the first Test against New Zealand, which resulted in a draw and the former Rajasthan Royals batter managed to score a highest of 35 in the first innings. Former India international, Zaheer Khan has a piece of advice from his personal experience for the right-handed batsman, which he wants him to instill in him before the series get underway in the rainbow nation.

"There have been mixed performances for Ajinkya Rahane. There is no doubt about it. He is under immense pressure. That is the fact. For any cricketer, to go through this kind of phase, you've got to have that mental toughness to come out of it. The good part is that you are still there and you are one inning away. As a batsman or cricketer, you should have such a belief,'' Zaheer Khan told to Times of India.

Zaheer wants Rahane to have the belief in himself that he is just one good knock away to brush aside his dismal form. If he manages to do that, things will change and will fall on his favour.

"Through my personal experience, if someone is going through a rough patch, you've got to have that belief that you are just one inning or one good knock away from that good performance. If you hit that, things change very fast as well. This is what I would advise Ajinkya at this stage. As a cricketer, you need to accept these challenges and take them head-on," the 2011 World Cup winner pacer advised.