"I will not make any comments, management will take the call" - Ajinkya Rahane on Virat Kohli returning for 2nd Test
India's stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who is going through a lean patch with the bat, will be in the spotlight when regular captain Virat Kohli returns for the second Test against New Zealand in Mumbai.
A lot has been spoken about who will sit out to accommodate Kohli, considering Shreyas Iyer had a memorable debut where he became the first Indian to score a century and a fifty in his first Test.
If India still drop Shreyas for Kohli, and keep Rahane, we deserve what he's been giving to the side with the bat. Not that I am very confident about Shreyas overseas, but somewhere you have to start the process of finding a new number 5.
As speculation continues to be rife, Rahane refused to comment on the possible changes in the playing XI for the Mumbai Test. Speaking at the end of the game, Ajinkya Rahane said:
"Virat is coming back for the next game. We'll have to wait and see till the Mumbai game. I am not going to make any comments but the management will make a call."
Rahane will be among the few cricketers who might face the axe. The 33-year-old has managed to score only 411 runs from his last 12 games at an average of 19.57, including only two half-centuries.
The management might also tweak the batting order, pushing Cheteshwar Pujara to open in place of Mayank Agarwal and slot Virat Kohli into the middle-order.
"I don't think we could have done anything different" - Ajinkya Rahane
The first Test between India and New Zealand went right down to the wire before both teams shared points after bad light forced the umpires to call off the Test 10 minutes prior to the stipulated time.
Debutant Rachin Ravindra resisted well alongside Ajaz Patel in the last 30 minutes to deny India the last wicket required for victory.
Ajinkya Rahane admitted that he had done everything at his disposal but the Kiwis ground it out in the middle to salvage a draw.
"Not really. I tried my best. Very good game of cricket, they played really well. We came back really well after the first session. We wanted to get that partnership going. We were looking to bowl 5-6 overs in the end, but we needed that partnership to carry on. I don't think we could have done anything different."
Rachin Ravindra, the debutant for New Zealand faced 91 balls and stayed unbeaten on 18 to save the game for the Kiwis 🙌
Wonderful grit and determination shown by the 22-year old 💪
Take a bow, Rachin Ravindra 🙇
📸 ICC
#India #NewZealand #INDvNZ https://t.co/OtvbNehwTw
Rahane also had a couple of exchanges with the on-field umpires, who were concerned about the bad light. He elaborated on it by saying:
"The chat with the umps was about the light. As a fielding team, you want to bowl more overs, as a batting unit you don't want to bat in that situation. The chat was about the light, but umpires made the call and I thought they were right."
Ajinkya Rahane also lauded Shreyas Iyer, who justified his selection with two crucial innings. He backed up his century in the first innings with a crucial fifty in the second essay to help India post a challenging target.
"I am really happy for Shreyas. He had to wait a long time for his Test debut. He batted really well. The way he works, his record in FC cricket is really good," Rahane concluded.
There were many brilliant performances in the match but Shreyas Iyer has been awarded the Man of the Match for his brilliant knocks in both the innings 🙌
📸 BCCI
#India #NewZealand #INDvNZ https://t.co/grg6Lw5xx8
The second and final Test between India and New Zealand will commence on December 3 at the Wankhede Stadium.