DHARAMSALA, March 24: Australia�s Steve Smith today felt Ajinkya Rahane will do a good job as skipper in the probable absence of Virat Kohli, terming the India vice-captain a �more chilled out guy� than his opposite number.
Asked how much India would miss Kohli�s leadership if he is forced to skip the series-deciding fourth Test, Smith showered accolades on his Rising Pune Supergiants teammate.
�No, 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 (in Ranchi) 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.�
Playing alongside Rahane has given Smith an opportunity to know him and his assessment is that the Mumbaikar is less emotional.
�He (Rahane) is 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 I think he reads the game and understands the game really well. So if Virat was to miss this Test match, then I�m sure the Indian side will still be in very good hands.�
The visiting captain praised Shreyas Iyer, Kohli�s possible replacement.
�He (Iyer) is pretty aggressive and he probably hit the first ball he faced for a six if I remember correctly. The knock was on a pretty good wicket, where there was not much of pace on the wicket in Mumbai and we didn�t play any of our frontline pacers (Starc and Hazlewood).
�So he played really well there. It is just one game but he definitely looks like a good player for future.�
Going into the match, Smith said the favourites tag doesn�t bother him one bit.
�I am not really bothered if we are the favourites or underdogs to be honest with you. It is a game of cricket, 1-1 in the series and everything to play for in this game. As I said earlier, I am not worried about the end result or the match.� � PTI
