Mumbai: Australian all-rounder James Faulkner has praised his Rajasthan Royals teammate Ajinkya Rahane, saying the franchise is lucky to have him in the squad.
Rahane has been in rollicking form this season in the Indian Premier League (IPL), amassing 430 runs from 10 matches so far.
His scintillating unbeaten 91 against Delhi Dardevils proved vital in Rajasthan’s victory at their adopted home ground — the Brabourne Stadium here — on Sunday.
“I think he [Rahane] is a class player. Rajasthan Royals are very lucky to have him. He has done very well for us at the top in this IPL,” Faulkner was quoted as saying by iplt20.com.
“Not just in the IPL, he has also shown his class in international cricket. He has a bright future and all the Indian fans have a lot of hopes for his future and potential in international cricket.
“There is no surprise that he is getting runs in the IPL again and everyone loves him.”
Faulkner said it was a satisfying win but was wary of the fact that in IPL anything is possible.
“It is nice to get off to a good start at our new home ground. It was a satisfying win for everyone. We started very well and set a good platform with the bat.
“Ajinkya Rahane’s innings was fantastic and Karun Nair as well showed what a good player he is.
“Everything is looking positive at the moment. But everyone knows the IPL is a funny game and we still have three games left.
“Anything can happen. We played a pretty good game of cricket today as a team,” he said, summing up his side’s victory.
The left-arm seamer who lost his place to South African pacer Rusty Theron in the last game said there is tough competition for spots in the playing XI.
“I missed out on the last game since we decided to give Rusty Theron a bit of bowling because of his death bowling skills.
“There are a lot of players in our team who haven’t got an opportunity so far in this IPL and other IPLs as well.
“It is a hard and tough competition and you fight for spots. People like it because it is a challenging tournament,” he said.
