Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel feels Ajinkya Rahane might have played his last match for India in test cricket. The vice-captain has been struggling to score runs consistently. In 2021, Ajinkya Rahane averages just 19.57 in 11 Test matches, scoring 372 runs, including two fifties.
His overall average in the red-ball format has dropped significantly to 39.63. In the series against England, Rahane had a string of low scores and was criticized heavily. In a video on Aakash Chopra’s Youtube Channel, Parthiv Patel was asked about Ajinkya Rahane’s test career. He said:
“I feel it might have been Ajinkya Rahane’s last innings. Rahane’s peak batting average of 51.4 in 2016 and from there he has come to 39. The form has gone down considerably.”
“That means the consistency is not there, there is no doubt about that. There is definitely a pattern for Ajinkya Rahane. There will definitely be questions asked about players who are not consistent,” he added.
He is playing from the crease many times – Parthiv Patel highlights the technical faults in Ajinkya Rahane’s batting
Parthiv Patel also pointed out that Ajinkya Rahane has been often playing his shots from the crease, which is getting him into trouble. He added that only runs from Rahane’s bat will stop the talking. Parthiv said:
“We are seeing technical faults. The front shoulder has opened up because of which his foot is not going forward. He is playing from the crease many times. People will only stop talking about Ajinkya Rahane, just like it has slightly ended for Pujara when he makes a big score. It will not happen without that because you are talking about the vice-captain of the team.”
The former Indian left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha highlighted that Ajinkya Rahane does not look in rhythm, which is not the case with Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who is also being criticized for lack of big scores. Ojha said:
“Virat Kohli is getting out and there is a pattern as well, but when he was playing his shots and making runs, the rhythm was still there. That is not being seen in Rahane, it is not looking convincing when he is playing his strokes.”