Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar mentioned that the time has come for Ajinkya Rahane to be dropped from the Indian team and that he has been given enough of a long rope but the results have not been satisfactory.

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.

Manjrekar, during a discussion on Sony Sports, said that Rahane should make way for Hanuma Vihari or Suryakumar Yadav in the next Test in Manchester. He even cited his own example, saying that if he hadn’t been dropped from the Indian team, guys like Rahul Dravid wouldn’t have gotten chances.

Manjrekar 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. 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."

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Manjrekar further said that the India Test vice-captain will be extremely lucky if he gets another chance in Manchester.

"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.

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," Manjrekar signed off.

Since his match-winning century in MCG against Australia earlier this year, Rahane has scored just 372 runs in eleven Tests at an underwhelming average of 19.57.