Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar has opined India should play Ajinkya Rahane instead of Suryakumar Yadav in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final (ICC WTC Final) against Australia.
The much-anticipated clash is scheduled to be played at the Oval, London from June 7. India face some big calls ahead of the clash due to injuries to some of their regular players. With the likes of Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer out of the game, the Indian team-management will have their task cut.
Ajinkya Rahane and Suryakumar Yadav are two middle-order options for Team India. Rahane earned a recall for the upcoming Test after doing well in the last season of the Ranji Trophy. The former Test vice-captain has not played a Test since January last year.
Suryakumar, on the other hand, has played just one Test so far. He made his Test debut against Australia in February and managed to score only 8. And while only time will tell who gets the nod to play the upcoming ICC WTC Final, Vengsarkar believes Ajinkya Rahane would be a better option. The India great cited Rahane’s experience and his past record in England as reasons behind picking him ahead of Suryakumar.
“I hope Rahane gets the nod ahead of Suryakumar Yadav because he is an experienced player. He has played good knocks in English conditions in the past. His technique is such that he can adapt to the English conditions quickly,” Vengsarkar was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Dilip Vengsarkar on Rohit Sharma:
Speaking further, Dilip Vengsarkar also spoke on Rohit Sharma’s form. The India skipper has had a poor campaign in the recently-concluded IPL 2023 where he managed to score only 332 runs at an average of less than 21.
Speaking about Rohit, Vengsarkar said: “Rohit’s role will be very crucial both as a captain and also as an opener. He is a big match player and the occasion can’t get any bigger than this. I hope he brings his A-game to the table.”
“More than the form I think the fact that he will be straightaway coming to the Test match from T20s might be a bit of an issue. I wish they had a few practice games before the WTC final. When you go into a Test match as big as this and remember, there are no second chances, unlike a series, it is important you are prepared well,” he added.