Ajinkya Rahane, who scored 271 runs during their 2-0 series win in the West Indies, is ready to take on South Africa. He further said that his return to form depended on self-belief more than anything else.

“From the outside it may look easy but for me it was about believing in my ability. Not thinking about the technical stuff, it was all about how I make the mental adjustment to handle difficult situations,” Rahane told reporters on Monday.

“You get to learn from every match and every series and I had to wait for two years, 17 Tests, for my Test debut and for this century (in West Indies) I had to wait for 17 Tests. I think there was some co-ordination,” he said.

“When I was playing for Hampshire, I was thinking, when I made my debut, how my mindset was before that. In these 17 Tests, I was not getting a hundred, I was going behind getting a hundred and it was not coming. So, in the West Indies, my thought process was that I will not think of getting a hundred even once, whatever has to be happen will happen. If a hundred has to come, it will come,” said the Test vice-captain.

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On the other hand, this South Africa team is relatively new with the absence of their stalwarts like Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn, Faf du Plessis etc. Ajinkya Rahane also said that the World Test Championships have increased the excitement of every Test match.

“There are five Tests at home versus South Africa and Bangladesh. Because of the Test Championship, you cannot take any team lightly. Even before the Championship, we were not taking any team lightly and since the points system is involved, every match is important,” he added.

“There is a big difference between winning and drawing a Test in terms of points. When you win home Tests and then go away, there is an advantage that you have points. Also, the likes of Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma did well in the warm-up and Faf du Plessis is an experienced campaigner. You can’t take them lightly,” he concluded.