New Delhi: Ajinkya Rahane’s exclusion from the first Test match against South which India lost has drawn criticism from many. Skipper Virat Kohli however justified his decision of fielding Rohit Sharma ahead of Rahane saying that he was picked on current, “form.”
But former skipper Sourav Ganguly felt that the 29-yead-old Rahane’s past performances should have been considered when the playing XI was being selected and also said that both Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan didn’t have a good record in away conditions.
“The history of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma in overseas conditions is not very good. Their record is basically chalk and cheese when it comes to overseas Tests. It is fine to go by current form, but they should not have overlooked the performances of KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane in overseas conditions in the past few years,” said Ganguly, in an interaction with India Today on Tuesday.
Ganguly’s comments make sense in the light of the fact that both Rohit and Dhawan have been strugglers outside the subcontinent. While Dhawan has just one century in away conditions, Rohit averages just 25.11 in the 15 Tests he has played outside the country.
In stark contrast, Rahane has been a proven performer in overseas tours where he has scored six hundreds and nine fifties and KL Rahul’s three hundreds out of his total four have come in away conditions.
When asked about what the possible team would be for the second test match, Ganguly felt that Rahane should make it to the playing XI but at the same time doubted the fact that both Dhawan and Rohit might not be dropped.
“Virat (Kohli) has shown a lot of trust in Rohit and Shikhar. It seems highly unlikely that they will not be given a second chance. But, the top order and middle order failed to perform in the first Test and Rahane will be a valuable addition to the line-up,” he said.
Comeback man Dale Steyn’s heel injury on the second day was a huge blow to the Proteas. But the South African pace bowling unit lived upto it’s reputation as led by Vernon Philander in the second innings, they dismantled the fancied Indian batting line-up and successfully defended 208 runs, bowling them out for just 135.
However, Ganguly feels that Steyn’s injury has come as a blessing in disguise for the home team as now, he is most likely to be replaced by all-rounder Chris Morris in the playing XI, who he feels is an able replacement for the veteran pacer.
“I think that Steyn’s injury is a blessing in disguise for South Africa. With (Chris) Morris coming in, they will have more strength in batting and that will help them in the series,” said Ganguly.