"If I wasn't dropped, people like Dravid would not have come in" - Sanjay Manjrekar says Ajinkya Rahane has got a very long rope
Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Ajinkya Rahane should make way for Hanuma Vihari or Suryakumar Yadav in India's playing XI for the final Test against England.
Rahane scored just 14 runs in the Oval Test including a duck in the second innings. The Indian vice-captain has scored a meager 109 runs at a dismal average of 15.57 in the four Tests played so far.
During a discussion on Sony Sports, Sanjay Manjrekar cited his own example while observing that players waiting on the sidelines need to replace Ajinkya Rahane. He said:
"You have an obligation to the guys waiting in the wings. That's how you look at Indian cricket. If I wasn't dropped, people like (Rahul) Dravid and all those guys would not have come in."
The former India cricketer feels Hanuma Vihari or Suryakumar Yadav should play ahead of Ajinkya Rahane. Manjrekar reasoned:
"Hanuma Vihari first and maybe Suryakumar Yadav. Very often you are surprised by players who are out in the reserves because you haven't seen them and Ajinkya Rahane is not exuding confidence."
Vihari certainly deserves a spot in the Indian team after the match-saving contribution he made in the Sydney Test against Australia. The middle-order batsman was unfortunately sidelined post that knock due to a hamstring tear.
"If Ajinkya Rahane gets another game, he is a very lucky batter" - Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Ajinkya Rahane will be extremely lucky if he is given another opportunity. He observed:
"If he [Rahane] gets another game, he is a very lucky batter. I wish a lot of the other batters in the past were living in this era. He has got a very long rope. If he gets another game, that's great for him."
The 56-year-old pointed out that even a substantial knock has not resulted in a rich vein of form from Rahane. Manjrekar explained:
"It's not like when you give him more opportunities, he is starting to look better. The most worrying thing is that he gets an innings which you think will trigger him back into form but that never happens. So, he will be very lucky if he gets one."
Ajinkya Rahane scored a match-winning century in the Boxing Day Test against Australia during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar trophy. However, since that encounter, the Mumbaikar has scored just 372 runs in eleven Tests at an underwhelming average of 19.57.