SA vs IND 2018: "Not having Ajinkya Rahane was shocking"- Shoaib Akhtar

Updated - 19 Jan 2018, 09:27 PM

Ajinkya Rahane, India, Virat Kohli, South Africa,

Ajinkya Rahane is seen as the key figure for South Africa. Photo Credit: AFP.

Table of Contents

The debate on Ajinkya Rahane being dropped from the side has been a hot topic of discussion from the very first day. A major topic of discussion, with Shoaib Akhtar joining now, throughout the Test series has been the exclusion of Ajinkya Rahane from the playing XI despite his excellent record in the rainbow nation. Rohit Sharma was included in the XI instead of the other Mumbai batsman.

Rohit who was brought to the team in place of Rahane could only manage 11, 10, 10 and 47 in the four innings he has played in the series. Rahane, on the other hand, has a great record in South Africa on previous tours. Rahane averages almost 70 in the four innings he has played in the rainbow nation with the highest score of 96. Rahane’s exclusion was criticised by many former cricketers, one of them being former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.

Shoaib Akhtar Pakistan New Zealand — Shoaib Akhtar has backed the Pakistani side to come out good after the dismal show in Dunedin. Image Courtesy: Getty Images

Akhtar said:

“There is a lot of debate on Rohit. We all know he is a great talent but in the world we are living you have to perform. He is very talented, I see shades of Inzamam-ul-Haq in him. Unfortunately, he has not delivered on what was expected of him. And not having Ajinkya Rahane was shocking because he is your most technically correct batsman.”

Jasprit Bumrah bowled 19 overs for his one-wicket as he gave away 73 runs. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

Akhtar has also praised the Indian fast bowling department which has been successful in picking all 20 wickets in both the Test matches. When asked if this is the best Indian bowling line up he said:

“I would not say that. I would say they are gradually improving and there is a long way to go before India can call itself a good fast bowling nation. Five years ago, I had thought that Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami will be the ones to lead India’s pace department on overseas tours. But that did not happen with Aaron having fitness issues, Yadav being good in patches and erratic other times, like Wahab Riaz.”

Talking about India’s performance in the Test match he added that the result was unexpected:

“I saw the first two Tests in bits and pieces. It would be wrong to say that it (India’s loss) was expected. It is still one of the best Test teams. Yes, they did not play well. The batsmen should have applied themselves better. It is, may be, a result of a bad combination. Not taking wickets at the right time, not scoring enough runs. Most of the guys in the team are right up there. They need to go back to the drawing board. I am quite impressed with (Hardik) Pandya as well. It is just the batsmen who did not apply themselves on pitches that were not so tough to bat on.”

The Rawalpindi Express also feels that the loss could be a blessing in disguise and the Indian team can turn around the results in England and Australia:

“They have a chance to turn it all around (in England and Australia later this year). I would look at it like that. To lose a series like that could be the best thing that could happen to them. Before England, they have to utilise the time in the right manner, get the practice right. Lot of improvement is required in batting. England is a good team at home but you cannot write off India.”

Follow more news about India’s tour of South Africa 2018 here.