IND vs WI: Dinesh Karthik Raises Questions Over Ajinkya Rahane's Place In The Squad Following Poor Performances Against West Indies
Published - 25 Jul 2023, 06:24 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:15 AM
Veteran wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik stated that Ajinkya Rahane had a poor outing with the bat in the recently concluded two-match series against the West Indies. Dinesh Karthik highlighted that Ajinkya Rahane was named vice-captain of the Test squad for his performances in the WTC final.
Ajinkya Rahane failed to make an impact in the Rohit Sharma-led team’s 1-0 victory over the West Indies. The right-handed batter managed to score 11 runs in the two innings of the series. Notably, the 35-year-old scored 89 runs and 46 runs in the two innings of the WTC 2023 final against Australia.
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Ajinkya Rahane Had A Very Ordinary Series – Dinesh Karthik
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik highlighted that Ajinkya Rahane’s poor batting display in the series raised doubts about his place in the squad.
“Ajinkya Rahane had a very ordinary series. You got to understand he had a really good WTC final, hence was picked and also nominated as vice-captain of the series.
A lot of surprises there because you could see there was a lot of talk about how come he has been made vice-captain, but that didn’t matter to Ajinkya Rahane. He got two opportunities with the bat, and on both occasions, he was found wanting,” Karthik said.
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The 38-year-old stated that Ajinkya Rahane can retain his place in the squad for the next red ball assignment, which is against South Africa in December.
“Yes, these are tough pitches and sometimes it can be a tough series as well, but the thing with Ajinkya Rahane over a period of time has been consistency. That’s why he lost his place in the team.
He would know he didn’t make the series count. But he is the kind of player who you think should be on the flight to South Africa because, in those big moments, you get the feeling that he will make it count.”
The Rohit Sharma-led team are in second place in the WTC points table (2023-25 cycle) after the second ended in a draw on Monday, July 24. They have 16 points, with one win and one draw in the two matches they played.
