IND vs SA: It Should Not Happen That Virat Kohli Comes In And Ajinkya Rahane Is Made To Sit Out – Harbhajan Singh

Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is hoping that Ajinkya Rahane retains his place in the India XI for the third Test against South Africa and he doesn’t have to make way for captain Virat Kohli.

India won the first Test of the series at SuperSport Park, Centurion, South Africa won the second Test at the Wanderers, Johannesburg and the third Test will be a series decider which will be played from January 11-15, at the Newlands, Cape Town. Kohli who got ruled out of the second Test due to upper back spasm will also be returning for the third and final Test.

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Ajinkya Rahane who was recently replaced by Rohit Sharma as a permanent vice-captain in the Test team had performed terribly for the Indian team in 2021. He averaged only 20.82 in 23 innings. In the Johannesburg Test, he got out on a golden duck in the first innings but scored a good half-century in the second innings to help India post a decent target.

Meanwhile, In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh said:

“The good thing that happened in the Johannesburg Test was that runs came from Ajinkya Rahane’s bat in the second innings. I hope Ajinkya Rahane is given another chance in Cape Town. It should not happen that Virat Kohli comes in and Ajinkya Rahane is made to sit out.”

Former Indian off-spinner added that he felt good to see Cheteshwar Pujara and Rahane score runs as the ” sword is hanging over the necks” of the senior batters. He said:

“I will want Rahane to score runs, to convert the fifty to a hundred, so that his confidence will be better for the upcoming series. The sword is hanging over the necks of Ajinkya Rahane and Pujara. So, it felt good that both of them scored runs and batted with responsibility.”

Both Of Them Are Formidable Players – Harbhajan Singh On Cheteshwar Pujara And Ajinkya Rahane

Harbhajan further added that both Pujara and Rahane are formidable players but the latter didn’t have a good run with the bat in 2021. He said:

“Both of them are formidable players, it does not need to be mentioned. They have been in the Indian team for a long time and have secured a permanent place for themselves although Ajinkya did not have a good last season, he didn’t score the big runs.”

“I hope those fifties would have been converted to centuries but it’s good to see that both of them are gaining their confidence. I know there is a lot of pressure when a player is not in form but I think you guys have done a commendable job.”

Also Read: Ashes 2021-22: Not Many Positives From This Tour But Zak Crawley Is Certainly One Who Needs To Be Given A Long Run – Michael Vaughan

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