Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said if he was an Indian team selector, he would’ve taken Ajinkya Rahane out of his plans and given Cheteshwar Pujara a chance because "there’s still something left in him".
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane’s performances in the recently concluded Test series against South Africa have put their place under scrutiny. The senior batters despite their struggle in recent times were backed by team management for the series.
But they failed to deliver the goods with the bat in the Test series against South Africa and never looked settled in the middle. While Cheteshwar Pujara scored 124 runs at 20.66, Ajinkya Rahane amassed 136 runs at 22.66.
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Following their failure, calls regarding their omission from the Indian Test team have risen drastically as many fans and pundits are of the opinion that team management should look forward now and give opportunities to youngsters.
Speaking to News 18, Sanjay Manjrekar said that no one will be surprised if he’ll say that the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town was Ajinkya Rahane’s last match. He pointed out that since 2017, the right-hander has shown that he’s a little unsure.
“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," Sanjay Manjrekar said.
Manjrekar while highlighting Rahane’s batting approach and the way he is getting dismissed said that’s the thing that indicates a player’s game and the latter has a shelf life, that is over.
He cited the example of Virat Kohli, saying that even though the right-hander has not scored a century since long he’s contributing to the team’s cause by scoring 70s.
“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 the 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 said.
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Manjrekar cited the example of Javagal Srinath, suggesting that excessively backing senior players could also do more harm than good to Indian cricket.
“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 said.
Sanjay Manjrekar further said that with Cheteshwar Pujara coming close to 100 Test matches, he has more time than Ajinkya Rahane and there is something still left in him.
“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 said.
It remains to be seen if selectors pick Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara in the team when they’ll name squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka, starting 25th February.
(News 18 inputs)
