Former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha was really “surprised” by Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane's inconsistency with the bat in recent times, saying he “has to be consistent” ahead of the second Test of the ongoing four-match Test series against England starting February 13 in Chennai.
After a humiliating Adelaide Test defeat, Rahane took the charge of the Indian team and he led the side from the front to a remarkable 8-wicket win in the second Test by hammering a brilliant hundred at MCG. But since then, the right-hander failed to score even 40+ runs in the remaining two Tests on the tour.
The experienced batsman continued his poor form with the bat in the ongoing home Test series against England, scoring 1 and 0 in the first defeated Test in Chennai and he yet again became the target of criticism for his inconsistency with the bat and Ojha said he needs to address his form.
Ojha told Sports Today: “That is something which really surprises me. I have played a lot of cricket with him, right from our younger days. Someone of his stature gets a brilliant hundred at the MCG and after that, it looks as if he is finding his form. It is something that even I was taken aback.”
The 38-year-old further added, “I believe he needs to sort this out because a man of his stature who has done so much for the country, the vice-captain of the Indian team, he has to be consistent. When he plays, it looks like he is a brilliant batsman but at times when he starts getting out, then you feel like he is out of form. So, this is something he needs to address.”
Meanwhile, the former spinner said a player of Rahane's stature should be in the team and also in the playing XI while saying he and Cheteshwar Pujara are pillars of India’s Test team, but the way they played slowly in Australia, it didn’t really matched their stature.
Ojha further explained, “Nobody is criticizing his position in the team or questioning him being the vice-captain or what he has done. But everybody is surprised, the whole Indian team was unsettled after the loss at Adelaide and he goes to MCG as a captain and plays a brilliant knock.
He is absolutely someone the Indian team needs, him and Pujara. I will just extend my conversation to Pujara.”
He signed off, “When India was playing in Sydney, on Day 2 evening, we played that session very slow. The next morning when we came into bat, the Australians had a plan and they got us out. Had we used those overs, we could have got those runs because when the new ball comes in, we were losing those wickets.
That was my criticism, I never doubted Pujara or Rahane, they are the pillars of our batting.”
