Former New Zealand cricketer Daniel Vettori believes veteran Ajinkya Rahane should make way for Virat Kohli in the 2nd Test against New Zealand, considering the lean patch he has been on in recent times. Incidentally, Kohli, who was rested for the first Test, will be available for selection in the final match of the series.
Shreyas Iyer was handed the debut cap in the absence of Kohli, who justified his selection with a hundred and a half-century. While Iyer in all likelihood retaining his berth in the next match, the million-dollar question remains who makes way from the Indian captain.
Although Daniel Vettori stressed that it is Ajinkya Rahane, who should sit out, the all-rounder asserted that it will not be the end of his Test career.
“I still think Rahane is still a solid player. He looks like he wants to be aggressive; the way he is playing doesn’t feel tentative. but he is getting out. In a lot of ways, being dropped and having the ability to come back and resettle everything as a batsman, particularly at the Test level, can weigh you down,” Vettori told ESPNcricinfo.
“If they [Indian team management] leave him out of the next Test match, I don’t think it will be a death-knell for his career; it will just be a one-Test dropping, because it just resets everything, gives him a chance to go back and do a bit of work. I think it’s hard to drop someone [Iyer] who has scored a century on Test debut against a quality side. So, it will probably be Rahane who will make way [for Kohli],” he added.
“It’s tricky to drop a player who captained the team in the first Test” – Wasim Jaffer on Ajinkya Rahane
On the other hand, Wasim Jaffer highlighted it would be tricky to drop a player who has captained the side in the first Test irrespective of his form.
“In India, when the batsman is out of form, the bowler sits out. So, you might see four bowlers playing in Wankhede. It’s tricky to drop a player who captained the team in the first Test, you will think twice before dropping him in the second,” Jaffer added.
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