England vs India 2021: Ajinkya Rahane Has Lots Of Clutter & Confusion In His Mind - Saba Karim

Former Indian player Saba Karim has opined that the vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane needs to cleanse his thought process because it has become all confused and fuzzy. However, Karim also stated that Rahane should continue to play given his experience at the international level.

Coming into the series, Rahane was already under the scanner. He has had a below-par last few months barring the century at Melbourne. Despite his weak performances, he continues to be backed by Virat Kohli and the team management.

Much of it comes down to the mental state of the batsman. Rahane was also demoted in the batting order with Ravindra Jadeja coming in at No.5. Karim believes all these factors have taken their toll on the 33-year-old.

“Rahane is in the team because of his experience and past performances. I agree that he didn’t contribute in recent times but I am of the view that, irrespective of the conditions, an experienced batsman should play. The problem is that he has lots of clutter & confusion in his mind. He has lost focus, is not watching the ball, and is under lots of pressure,” Karim said.

Sanjay Manjrekar believes Ajinkya Rahane has a problem with judging the length

Sanjay Manjrekar was of the opinion that Rahane has a slightly weakened sense of judgment especially when it came to the lengths. This has affected the way he bats and is also the reason why he fell for a duck on a flat track at the Oval, as per Manjrekar.

“He is one of the senior players in the team. So, a guy who gets these kinds of innings, a lease of life, and still bats like this, there is something wrong. He has lost the knack of judging the length of the ball. Getting out twice almost in a few balls on a pitch that is good for batting, tells you a lot about his current state,” the former cricketer added.

India might look to replace the struggling Rahane with Hanuma Vihari or Suryakumar Yadav for the fifth Test in Manchester.

Also Read – India vs England 2021: Ravindra Jadeja Is The Biggest Threat On That Wicket – Moeen Ali