Published: Dec 27, 2023, 11:46 AM (IST)
Edited: Dec 27, 2023, 11:46 AM (IST)
Day 1 of the first Test match between India and South Africa did not start well for the Indian cricket squad; the only player to score a half-century was KL Rahul. If it weren’t for Rahul’s hard-hitting blow, India might not have even scored 200 runs. The Indian cricket icon Sunil Gavaskar said that the squad needed someone like Ajinkya Rahane in the middle after witnessing the touring batting unit’s dismal performance on Day 1 of the Centurion Test.
Rahane’s heroics from five years ago in Johannesburg were brought up by Gavaskar, who emphasised how skillfully the experienced batsman managed the challenging pitch where other batters seemed to crumble.
“People have been talking about the pitch in the Johannesburg Test five years back and I was there. Yeah it wasn’t the easiest of pitches to bat on the odd ball was climbing up. And Ajinkya Rahane, who had not been picked for the first two Test matches, was picked for that game and he showed what the Indian team had missed because earlier on in the first couple of Test matches India did not lose by big margins.
“So maybe somebody with Rahane’s experience overseas… because Rahane overseas has been such a fine, fine player and maybe if he had been there today the story could have been completely different,” Gavaskar said while commentating on Star Sports.
Rahane is still among India’s most reliable international players. However, he has lost his place in the Indian Test team during the past few of years. After an outstanding Indian Premier League 2023 season with the Chennai Super Kings, Rahane did return to the team for the World Test Championship final 2023; however, he was left off of the squad when the selectors released the roster for the South Africa tour.
Although Rahane still has the ability to perform well for the whites, the selectors appear committed to giving younger players an opportunity in an effort to build a team for the future.
