Gautam Gambhir has painted a bleak future for Ajinkya Rahane. He highlighted that the middle-order batter is unlikely to make India’s playing XI for the first Test against South Africa.
Ajinkya Rahane is going through a prolonged lean run and has looked out of sorts in the middle. However, the Mumbaikar has been selected in India’s 18-member Test squad for the South Africa tour.
Ajinkya Rahane. (Photo Source: Getty Images)
Gautam Gambhir: Ajinkya Rahane Will Find It Difficult To Be Picked In Starting XI
During an interaction, former Indian opener and two-time IPL winning skipper for KKR, Gautam Gambhir was asked about Ajinkya Rahane’s future.
Gautam Gambhir responded: “Tough, that is what I can say because he is not a starter, to be honest. I feel Ajinkya Rahane will find it difficult to get a place in the playing XI.”
Gautam Gambhir AFP
The former India opener Gautam Gambhir added that Ajinkya Rahane is unlikely to be preferred over the in-form duo of Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari.
Gautam Gambhir explained: “You have got Shreyas Iyer; it will be very difficult for India or the captain to drop him because of his recent performances. At the same time, Hanuma Vihari has done really well as well.”
Shreyas Iyer became the first Indian to score a century and a half-century on Test debut in the Kanpur Test against New Zealand. Meanwhile, Hanuma Vihari, who was sent to South Africa with the India-A team to get himself acclimatized with the conditions, gave a decent account of himself too. Hanuma Vihari amassed 227 runs in 3 matches averaging a high 75.66 and was the third-highest run-getter and India A’s leading run-scorer.
However, Ajinkya Rahane has scored 3151 runs overseas at an average of 41.46, which is better than his dipping home numbers of 35.74. Against South Africa, his average is a staggering 57.54 amassing 748 runs in 10 Tests which includes 3 tons.
Sanjay Bangar: Ahjinkya Rahane Was Picked Because Of His Experience But It Is Doubtful Whether He Features In The 1st Test
While acknowledging that Ajinkya Rahane’s place in the playing XI is not certain, Sanjay Bangar opined that his selection in the squad was right, echoing Gautam Gambhir’s statement.
“Ajinkya Rahane has got a place for the South Africa tour, and he should have got picked as well because you will definitely need experience there. Whether he gets to play in the first Test match is a question mark and the first match that is played before the Test match is going to be critical.”
Sanjay Bangar | Twitter: ANI Digital
The former Indiabatting coach believes the Virat Kohli-led side might have to choose between Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. Shreyas Iyer’s sensational Test debut against the Kiwis has made the middle-order competition even more intense.
With middle-order batsmen Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill (considered a middle-order option when Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are available), and Hanuma Vihari vying for a spot alongside Shreyas Iyer, the two senior batsmen have little margin for error.
Sanjay Bangar elaborated: “Hanuma Vihari is already there; he has played for India A there and has scored runs as well. Shreyas got a chance at No.5 in the home series; he performed very well in his debut Test. All in all, I believe the team management will at least want to have one experienced middle-order player, whether it happens to be Pujara or Ajinkya, it all depends on the type of performances that they put in the practice match.”
Sanjay Bangar feels Ajinkya Rahane could benefit from the selectors’ decision not to retain him as vice-captain.
“I believe that if vice-captaincy is being taken away from him, it might just loosen him up a bit. It is a thing of responsibility, and sometimes there are questions that I am playing just because I am the captain,” said Sanjay Bangar.
Rohit Sharma has taken over from Ajinkya Rahane as the Indian team’s vice-captain in the longest format of the game. It might just help the out of form Ajinkya Rahane to concentrate more on his game rather than getting too involved in the team’s strategic decisions.
Cheteshwar Pujara has scored 686 runs in 13 Tests over the past 12 months. His average during this period, 29.83, is well below his career average of 44.82. His last Test century came three years ago.
Ajinkya Rahane’s stats are even worse – 411 runs from 12 Tests over the last 12 months, at an average of 19.57. Surprisingly, his form nosedived following a match-winning hundred in Melbourne last year. Ajinkya Rahane was left out of the playing XI in the second Test against New Zealand under the pretext of a hamstring strain. He has now lost his Test vice-captaincy as well.
