Former India wicketkeeper MSK Prasad said it’s unfair to put Ajinkya Rahane under pressure by talking about his performances for India in the recent past, saying the vice-captain is a wonderful team man. The former chief selector said Rahane has been a little inconsistent but stressed the team management will not take ‘any drastic decision’ when it comes to his place in the side.
Ajinkya Rahane is India’s leading run-scorer in the ongoing cycle of the World Test Championship with 1095, including 3 hundreds, in 17 matches. However, he has struggled to consistently deliver for the World No. 1 Test side. After hitting the heroic hundred in the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the 2nd Test against Australia earlier this year, Rahane has had 4 single-digit scores and one fifty-plus score in 6 Tests.
Rahane will be crucial to India’s chances in the England tour where India will play the World Test Championship final and 5 Tests against the hosts. MSK Prasad believes Rahane has the ability to deliver at crucial moments and that it was evident with the way he played and led the team in Virat Kohli’s absence in Australia.
“I think he is too good a player to start with. Of course, he has gone through lots of ups and downs but whenever the team has been in trouble, he rises to the occasion. He has that potential. The graph is a little up and down but I don’t foresee any drastic decision being taken by team management,” Prasad told cricket.com.
“He will come back strongly. He is a wonderful team-man and everybody likes him a lot. Whenever Virat hasn’t played a big innings, this man has stepped up. We must not forget how he delivered as a captain and a player in Australia when many seniors were absent,” he added.
“He is a proven player and his overseas record is far superior to many of the Indian players and maybe at home he has struggled a bit. We should not be putting unnecessary pressure on him.”
