With Delhi Capital’s batting order being already in good form, Ajinkya Rahane has not been to get a place in the playing XI. It has raised questions on his role and also fans have shown their anger on social media for benching him in the last five matches of DC.
Speaking to ANI about social media outrage, a Delhi Capitals official acknowledged that Ajinkya Rahane is a brilliant player with experience under his belt but opined that the selection of players in the XI is made under some criteria.
“You have to understand that whatever is being said on social media cannot be the criteria for team selection. Rahane is a brilliant player and brings in a lot of experience with him,” he said.
He further added that with Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan doing an outstanding job at the top, they can not be replaced with Ajinkya Rahane. According to him, the team management don’t want to experiment with opening partnership so India’s Test player will have to wait for his chance.
“But the simple point is that Dhawan and Shaw have been outstanding at the top. You do not fix something that isn’t broken. Also, you would realise we have looked to continue with players who we believe in over the last two seasons. Dhawan and Shaw are proven performers for us. Rahane will have to wait his turn to be honest,” the official said.
Ajinkya Rahane Is an Integral Part of DC, Says Official
On being asked whether Delhi Capitals is planning to trade him mid-season, the official disagreed stating that Ajinkya Rahane is an integral part of the team. He opined that the veteran had given various input to the management for the betterment of the team.
“He is an integral part of the team and he wasn’t brought in with the idea of trading him mid-season. Whatever be said on the outside, he has been excellent with the team and has looked to give his input wherever possible,” the official said.
The official also said that Rahane could not be played in the middle-order seeing the demand of hard-hitters in the IPL. He stated that the team’s selection is done after a lot of discussion and planning.
“The demand in the middle-order in a tournament like the IPL is very different and you would not wish to be unfair to him by asking him to bat in the middle-order. After that, it is the call of the team management. Also, you don’t do something just for the sake of it. There is a lot of discussion and planning that goes on behind these things,” the official explained.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals are in the top form this season with winning four matches out of four.