Sabyasachi Bagchi, Kolkata: Virat Kohli led Indian cricket team are currently facing South Africa in the second Test at Centurion. Indian team management got heavily criticized after they didn’t pick Ajinkya Rahane in the first Test at Cape Town where they lost the game by 72 runs. Many cricket critics thought that Rahane might be included in the squad, but after the toss earlier today, India skipper Virat Kohli made said that they have included KL Rahul, Ishant Sharma and Parthiv Patel in place of Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and injured Wriddhiman Saha. It has been a strange strategy by the team management since Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy days that they always give Rohit Sharma extra opportunities. After Virat Kohli became the captian of the side, the same thing is happening with Rahane again as the team management has given a chance to Rohit ahead of Rahane in the Centurion Test.
Former Indian national team cricketer, Pravin Amre has been the coach of Ajinkya Rahane since last few years. While talking to www.xtratime.in Amre took a dig at the team management on this matter.” I strictly protest about what is happening with Rahane. He is the most technically sound batsman in the team, but still he is not getting a chance in the playing XI. I think the team management has forgotten that it’s a three-match Test series. If India lost the match at Centurion they will loose the series. They have to understand if you don’t give a chance to a batsman who is the most successful batsman on foreign soil, then where would you give him a chance. You are not giving a chance to your vice-captain in the Test squad which is really very embarrassing to see.”
The team management is keeping their faith on Rohit Sharma ahead of Rahane between two Mumbaikars but Amre don’t know the reason why they are doing this. He blames Kohli and India coach Ravi Shastri for all this.” All the captains have their favorite players in the squad and that’s not wrong too. According to Kohli, Rohit is much better the Rahane, but you have to understand that you need to suffle the players when situation demands. In this kind of wicket Rahane is the right batsman who can save any side but it’s really embarrassing to see that he is not in the playing XI.”
He further added that,” Rohit played well against a poor side like Sri Lanka where he scored a lot of runs, but you have to understand that it’s South Africa. Here the situation is totally different and you saw Rohit failed to score runs in the first Test. If my instincts are right he will again fail in the remainder of the series.
Former India skipper Ajit Wadekar too is unhappy with Rahane’s exclusion. He said,” I know that Rahane was in poor form in the Test series against Sri Lanka at home, but I am not happy with Virat’s team selection. The coach and captain should have backed Rahane to build his confidence again. I don’t think that they have done that. If they had done that, Rahane would be present their in the ground today. If you remember, Rahane had performed really well against South Africa in his last outing there, on the other hand Rohit didn’t have anything on the overseas tours.