After being axed from the Indian Test squad last year, Ajinkya Rahane went through a domestic grind and scored plenty of runs to regain his place in the red-ball side.
Rahane was recalled to the Test team for the WTC 2023 final against Australia and he registered scores of 89 and 46 in the marquee clash at The Oval last month.
As expected, Rahane retained his place in the Test side for the West Indies tour and he was also handed the vice-captaincy of the team.
However, the 35-year-old managed to score only 3 runs in India’s only innings in the Dominica Test while he fell for another single-digit score (8) in the one innings that he batted during the second Test at Queen’s Park Oval.
Reflecting on the lows for India in the series, which they won 1-0, veteran wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik said Rahane was "found wanting" in both the Test matches.
"Let's talk about the lows of the series. The players probably did not get going. The two batters - Ajinkya Rahane and Shubman Gill. Rahane obviously had a very ordinary series. He had really got the WTC final, hence was picked and also named as vice-captain for this series - A few surprises there. You could see, there was a lot of talk around that. How could he be made the vice-captain but that should not have mattered to Rahane. He got two opportunities with the bat and on both occasions he was found wanting. The thing with Rahane over a period of time has been that critical word, consistency. That's why he had lost his place in the side. He would know, he did not make the series count," Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
However, he opined that Rahane should be part of India's squad for the South Africa tour because of his ability to score in difficult situations.
"He is the kind of player, you think, should be on that flight to South Africa because, on those big moments, you get the feeling that he will make it count. That's been the good part about him but if he is consistent in these low-key series as well, it would really help him considering where he is at in his career," Karthik added.
Commenting on Shubman Gill, who returned with scores of 6, 10, and 29* in his three outings, Dinesh Karthik said the fans need to be more patient with India’s new No. 3 batter in Tests.
"Shubman Gill, we expect the world from him and just like in T20s, he's starting out slowly in Tests. If you look at his scores in Test cricket in the recent past, nothing really to take home. He has really made a mark in ODI cricket and T20s. Now for him to make it big in Test cricket, he has the skill, he has the potential what he needs is a little more patience from our side. He does look apart when he plays well," Karthik remarked.
