Former India spinner hopes Ajinkya Rahane to get another chance in Cape Town

Harbhajan Singh hopes the team management will go ahead with former Test deputy Ajinkya Rahane for the third Test against South Africa.

Ajinkya Rahane (Image Credit: Twitter)
By Shurti Banerjee | Jan 9, 2022 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh hopes the team management will go ahead with Ajinkya Rahane for the final Test against South Africa. However, Rahane has been going through a rough patch for quite some time now. Although he scored a fifty in the second innings of the Johannesburg Test, he faced a golden duck in the first.

Notably, his fifty helped India set a decent fourth-innings target for South Africa as well. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh has expressed his views on this matter. He hopes Virat Kohli won’t replace Ajinkya Rahane in playing XI for the Cape Town Test against South Africa.

He said: “The good thing that happened in the Johannesburg Test was that runs came from Ajinkya Rahane’s bat in the second innings. I hope Ajinkya Rahane is given another chance in Cape Town. It should not happen that Virat Kohli comes in and Ajinkya Rahane is made to sit out.”

READ MORE: ‘I feel the conditions in Cape Town will also suit India’ – Harbhajan Singh

Meanwhile, the veteran was also happy that Cheteshwar Pujara has returned amongst the runs in the Johannesburg Test. He also was going through a poor form like Rahane.

“I will want Rahane to score runs” – Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan further added: “I will want Rahane to score runs, to convert the fifty to a hundred, so that his confidence will be better for the upcoming series. The sword is hanging over the necks of Ajinkya Rahane and Pujara. So, it felt good that both of them scored runs and batted with responsibility.”

However, Pujara scored 53 runs off 86 balls and added a 111-run partnership for the third wicket with Ajinkya Rahane. It was also Pujara’s fastest Test fifty away from home as well. Meanwhile, the former spinner has also opened up on their performances in recent times.

READ MORE: Former India skipper slams Rishabh Pant for a poor shot that led to his dismissal

He added: “Both of them are formidable players, it does not need to be mentioned. They have been in the Indian team for a long time and have secured a permanent place for themselves although Ajinkya did not have a good last season, he didn’t score the big runs.”

The recently retired experienced off-spinner also applauded both Ajinkya Rahane and Pujara for doing well under immense pressure. While Rahane averaged 20.82 with the bat in 2021, Hanuma Vihari played crucial knocks in both innings at the Wanderers as well. It will be interesting to see who will have the last laugh.

“I hope those fifties would have been converted to centuries but it’s good to see that both of them are gaining their confidence. I know there is a lot of pressure when a player is not in form but I think you guys have done a commendable job,” Harbhajan Singh concluded.





Related Post

HIGHLIGHTS

Buzzwords