Kohli passes huge statement on Ajinkya Rahane’s: The Indian captain was vocal about his Test deputy ahead of the tour of West Indies.
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India captain Virat Kohli sounded unperturbed with Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane’s form in the recent times. A regular in the Test team, Rahane hasn’t scored a Test century in his last 17 Tests.
Since scoring 132 against Sri Lanka at Colombo in August 2017, Rahane has scored 696 runs at an average of 24.85 and a strike rate of 42.25 including five half-centuries. The patch has brought down Rahane’s Test average from 46.66 to 40.55.
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Speaking during the press conference before leaving for West Indies, Kohli explained why Rohit Sharma was preferred over Rahane during the tour of South Africa last year. “Even in South Africa [last year], we played Rohit [Sharma] because of the way he was batting [against Sri Lanka and in ODIs]. That was the reason why we chose him over Jinks [Ajinkya Rahane],” Kohli was quoted as saying.
Kohli passes huge statement on Ajinkya Rahane’s mediocre form
However, the Indian skipper took nothing away from his deputy despite the latter’s mediocre form being a concern for the Indian fans. Backing Rahane out and out, Kohli claimed Rahane as one of the most sorted players before highlighting his vital performances under pressure of late.
“But look, Jinks has been a solid player for us through and through. That’s always been our communication. He’s one of the most sorted guys. Really composed. Reads the game well. I think under pressure he’s performed really well. The guy averages 43 [40.55] in Test cricket. It’s not like he’s in the early 30s,” Kohli said.
“He will come around…”
Among the current lot of Indian cricketers, Rahane has grabbed the most number of catches (73) in Test cricket. Kohli also threw light on Rahane’s skill on the field. Hailing Rahane as one of the “pillars” of the Indian batting, Kohli hoped for him to come out of his lean patch.
“[Rahane is a] Priceless fielder. We’ve all seen the impact he can create in Test cricket with his slip catching and everything. I don’t think we can jump the gun on Jinks because he’s done the job for you under pressure. It’s a patch which anyone can go through.
“But, I think he will come around because he’s that good a player. We know he can be very consistent and one of the pillars of our batting lineup,” Kohli added.
