'Rahane has obviously modeled himself a bit on Tendulkar'

Former Australian captain Steve Waugh has said that Ajinkya Rahane reminded him a bit of Sachin Tendulkar and his "compact technique" would fetch him a lot of runs for India. 

Waugh, who is in Bangalore for the inauguration of world class sports arena, said Rahane has modeled himself on iconic batsman Tendulkar.

"I like Rahane and he is a quality player. He reminds me quite a bit of Tendulkar. He does not have a very big back swing. He obviously has modeled himself a bit on Tendulkar," Waugh told PTI in an interview at the inauguration at Brigade Orchards at the outskirts of the city.

"(Virat) Kohli is a world class player, one of the best. But, I also like Rahane's technique. He has a very compact technique, has shots all around the ground and has a good temperament. I like him as a player and is going to score a lot of runs for India," said Waugh.

'South Africa have picked a smart side'

On South Africa picking three spinners for the upcoming India Test series, Waugh said picking more slow bowlers would not guarantee success as Indians are very good players of spin and it's hard to win in India. 

"They - South Africa - have picked three spinners, but that does not guarantee them success. Indian side have very good players of spin and it is very hard to win in India," Waugh said. South Africa have named three specialist spinners, including Imran Tahir, in their Test squad for the four-match Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela series. beginning next month.

"South Africa have picked a smart side - perfectly tailor-made for Indian conditions as they believe pitches are going to turn here," Waugh said.

Asked about the chances for South Africa to win the upcoming series, Waugh said, "They have won before in India. They have very good reverse swing bowlers," he said.