Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar gave his verdict on Ajinkya Rahane’s future with the Indian cricket team and also compared him with Cheteshwar Pujara.
Lately, Ajinkya Rahane has faced plenty of criticism due to his poor batting performance in Test cricket. India lost the Test series in South Africa 1-2 and Rahana could only muster a solitary half-century in six innings, registering only 136 runs in the three fixtures. The 33-year-old is also no longer the Test vice-captain and Sanjay Manjrekar feels that the batter could be out of opportunities to prove himself once again. Speaking to News18, Manjrekar explained that Rahane “has a shelf life that is over ” and would not be picked, if he was national team selector.
“If I am saying that it is Rahane’s last match (3rd Test vs South Africa in Cape Town), people should not wonder why I am saying that. I am sure you say the same thing privately, and the others. It’s not about runs but also how someone looks in the field. It’s from 2017 that Ajinkya Rahane somewhere has shown that he is a little unsure”, he said.
“You can see it in the way he bats, the way he gets out. That’s another thing that gives an indication about a player’s game. For example, Virat Kohli is not getting a hundred but he is still putting out 70s and there is great value in having Virat Kohli before he discovers form. So Rahane for me is clearly somebody that has a shelf life that is over”, he further added.
Manjrekar also felt that the selectors need to “look at someone beyond” Rahane.
“And the other thing is when you see senior players, you are cutting the rope for younger players. Javagal Srinath in his prime was sitting out of the playing XI because the selectors were giving a longer rope to some senior players. It’s also important that selectors have to keep everyone in Indian cricket who is in contention in mind. So I’ll be surprised if Ajinkya Rahane gets picked for obvious reasons; selectors should look at someone beyond him”, he stated.
The former cricketer had a different opinion on Cheteshwar Pujara’s situation. The veteran Test cricketer is also under a lot of pressure due to his poor form in South Africa and many fans have called for him to be replaced. But Manjrekar feels that there is “more time for Pujara than Rahane”.
“Pujara is interesting, he’s coming close to 100 Test matches. It will need a very unemotional selector to leave him out. And I personally have more time for Pujara than Rahane. This is from observing the way they bat. No other reason. I feel there is something left in Pujara, but Rahane, if I would have been the selector, would have been out of my plans two years back”, he explained.
The 34-year-old has played for India in 95 Test matches and has smashed 6713 runs. He has also registered 18 centuries and 32 half-centuries.