Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha has blamed poor footwork for India’s stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s ongoing battle to find form with the bat. Rahane, captaining India in the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur, managed just 35 and 4 in two innings.
Rahane has made just over 683 runs in 29 innings in Tests since 2020 at an average of 24.4 and only one century and two fifties to his name.
This has led to experts and fans questioning his place in the Indian team going forward, especially with Shreyas Iyer’s tremendous Test debut in Kanpur and Suryakumar Yadav waiting in the wings.
Ojha felt that Rahane's footwork was a cause of concern that has been causing him a lot of trouble lately.
Talking to Cricbuzz, Ojha said, "As far as the mental aspect is concerned, I don't think Ajinkya Rahane will be that much disturbed. But technically, what the other legendary batters of the Indian cricket team are saying, his footwork can be an issue. When your footwork isn't right, the variable bounce off the pitch can cause trouble. This is what is ailing Rahane."
The left-arm pacer also said that a couple of senior players will feel intense pressure after the performance of newcomers and he said that senior members of the team will have to buckle up and get their techniques right in order to stay a crucial part of the team.
"Your strategy can be understood but when it becomes a pattern and you start getting out, then you have to work on that. Working on changing the technique isn't easy but we can surely expect that from senior members of the team,” Ojha added.
Shreyas Iyer made 105 and 65 in his first Test, while Rahane managed a total of 39 runs in the Test match. With Virat Kohli coming back into the XI for the next Test match in Mumbai, it will be interesting to see what the team management does.
