Dinesh Karthik Says Ajinkya Rahane Getting Dropped For Mumbai Test “Will Ease Some Of The Pressure On Him”
Dec 1, 2021 at 4:14 PM
Dinesh Karthik feels Ajinkya Rahane getting dropped from the Indian team for the Mumbai Test will help ease some of the pressure off him.
With Ajinkya Rahane struggling for form with the bat, speculation is rife that his place in Team India’s playing XI is in danger for the second and final Test against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Dinesh Karthik: Pressure Will Obviously Be On Ajinkya Rahane After Shreyas Iyer’s Excellent Performances In The Draw 1st Test
Ajinkya Rahane posted scores of 35 and 4 in the drawn opening Test in Kanpur to continue his poor run this year. The 33-year-old batter has an unenviable average of 19.6 in 2021. According to Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik, Ajinkya Rahane getting dropped from the team for the Mumbai Test will help ease some of the pressure off him.
“With Shreyas Iyer coming in and doing so well, I think the pressure will obviously be on Rahane and he might be the one to be dropped. This has happened during a tour of South Africa when Rahane was dropped for a game before he again came back. There is no harm if Rahane’s dropped for a game,” Dinesh Karthik said in a discussion.
“Iyer has literally taken India to a safe zone in this Test on his own. He’s done really well. And It’s not like Rahane has not been among the runs in 1-2 Tests. It has been going on for a long time now. I don’t think it’s such a bad thing for him to be dropped. It will ease some of the pressure on him,” Dinesh Karthik added.
Ajinkya Rahane has had a horror run with the bat over the last year, which has seen his average dip to under 40. In fact, he averages a mere 19.57 in 12 Tests in 2021, his lowest average in a year since debuting in 2013.
Dinesh Karthik: Cheteshwar Pujara Hasn’t Scored A Ton In A Long Time
Cheteshwar Pujara has done slightly better at 30.43 from the same number of games in 2021 but had a horrid time in 2020, averaging only 20.38 in 4 Tests.
“I do think a similar sort of baggage is there on (Cheteshwar) Pujara too. He hasn’t got a hundred in a long time. And since the start of 2020, he too has averaged in the mid-20s. These are two players who have set their standards very high. They would know they haven’t performed according to expectations.”
Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored 26 and 22 in Kanpur, was dismissed in a similar manner as he was criticized for having a technical flaw in his game. Mayank Agarwal managed scores of 13 and 17 in the Kanpur Test. On other hand, Ajinkya Rahane scored 35 and 4 in the 1st Test. As a result, one of the trios has to make way for Virat Kohli, who will return in the 2nd Test.
While Ajinkya Rahane has not scored a century since December 2020- a memorable 112 against Australia, Cheteshwar Pujara hasn’t scored a ton since he made 193 against Australia in January 2019.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer became the hero of the 1st Test as he smashed his maiden century (105) on Day 2 of the first Test and again stole the show with his knock of 65, helping India in a position of command on Day 4 of the Kanpur Test.
New Zealand managed to survive by the barest of margins on the last day of the first Test against India after a gritty performance from their lower-order batters ensured that visitors walked away with a draw.