"It might have been Ajinkya Rahane's last innings" - Parthiv Patel
Parthiv Patel feels that Ajinkya Rahane might have played out his last act in the Indian Test team.
Rahane had an abysmal Test tour of England. The stylish batsman scored a meager 109 runs at a lowly average of 15.57 in the four Tests against the hosts.
In a video shared on Aakash Chopra's YouTube channel, Parthiv Patel was asked if this could be the end of the road for Ajinkya Rahane. He responded:
"I feel it might have been Ajinkya Rahane's last innings. Rahane's peak batting average of 51.4 in 2016 and from there he has come to 39. The form has gone down considerably."
The former Indian wicketkeeper added that Ajinkya Rahane being questioned about his lack of consistency is expected. Patel observed:
"That means the consistency is not there, there is no doubt about that. There is definitely a pattern for Ajinkya Rahane. There will definitely be questions asked about players who are not consistent."
It will be interesting to see if the Indian selectors persist with Ajinkya Rahane for the home series against New Zealand and give him a final opportunity to come good in familiar home conditions.
"Ajinkya Rahane is playing from the crease many times" - Parthiv Patel
Parthiv Patel highlighted that Ajinkya Rahane's technical shortcomings are evident. He explained:
"We are seeing the technical faults. The front shoulder has opened up because of which his foot is not going forward. He is playing from the crease many times."
The 36-year-old signed off by stating that the debate about Ajinkya Rahane's place in the Indian team will not end unless he makes a sizeable contribution. Patel elaborated:
"People will only stop talking about Ajinkya Rahane, just like it has slightly ended for Pujara, when he makes a big score. It will not happen without that because you are talking about the vice-captain of the team."
Pragyan Ojha pointed out that Ajinkya Rahane's batting displayed a distinct lack of rhythm, which was not the case with Virat Kohli. The former Indian left-arm spinner said:
"Virat Kohli is getting out and there is a pattern as well, but when he was playing his shots and making runs, the rhythm was still there. That is not being seen in Rahane, it is not looking convincing when he is playing his strokes."
Both Kohli and Rahane have been found slightly wanting against away-going deliveries. However, the former still gave the impression that a big knock is round the corner, which was not the case with his deputy.