Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha has opined that India’ stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane, who is in poor form with the bat currently, is not “mentally disturbed” but struggling due to an issue with his footwork in the ongoing India-New Zealand Test series.
Ojha pointed out a major flaw in his technique during the 1st Test in Kanpur, saying that this is something that several former cricketers have mentioned in their analysis.
“Don’t think Ajinkya Rahane is mentally disturbed, but, looking at the technical part, his footwork is an issue. It has not been proper and a lot of former cricketers have also pointed towards the same. When your footwork is not proper, you are bound to get into trouble,” quipped Ojha.
Former left-arm spinner further stated that Shreyas Iyer scoring a century on debut – in addition to a skillful 65 in the second innings – will only add more pressure on Rahane ahead of the second Test in Mumbai.
“Pressure is always there but it increases when you become a senior batter and when you know that a junior batter has come in and scored a hundred on debut. There there is someone like a (Hanuma) Vihari, who scores well whenever he gets an opportunity,” said.
Meanwhile, former India batter VVS Laxman too called out Rahane for his indecisiveness with respect to his footwork while analysing his wicket during the Star Sports’s lunch-break show.
“Absolutely, he is not decisive (while deciding whether to play on the front foot or the back foot). If your feet stay rooted to the ground, then you are forced to play from the crease. Just take a look at the way Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed today.
“The main problem with Ajinkya Rahane is the initial step, something we also call the “baby step”. If the baby step falls onto the toe or the heel, then your leg gets stuck. From that position, you cannot move at all. That is why Rahane often plays a full delivery on the back foot,” elaborated Laxman.
