‘It’s time he starts scoring’: Ex-Pak player says New Zealand Tests chance for senior India batter ‘to come back’

The opening Test will be played in Kanpur from November 25, while the second encounter will begin in Mumbai from December 3.

Updated on: Nov 13, 2021, 16:14:03 IST

By hindustantimes.com

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

A day after BCCI released the 16-member Test squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand, ex-Pakistan batter Salman Butt said the upcoming matches will be crucial for Ajinkya Rahane, who needs to score runs.

Chetashwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane in action during the 4th day of the Second Test match between India and England at Lord's

Rahane will be seen leading the side for the first time after the Australia tour as Virat Kohli will join the squad for the second and final match of the series.

Sharing his views on the right-hand batter, Butt in a video said that Rahane was not among runs in India's previous tour of England and now has a good opportunity to make a comeback.

T20 World Cup: Sachin Tendulkar explains why David Warner didn't review his dismissal against Pakistan

“It’s time that Rahane starts scoring runs. He was troubled in England. Now is his chance to come back. He is a good captain, and it was under him that India won the series in Australia,” said the ex-Pakistan opener on his YouTube channel.

Butt, who called the Indian squad as ‘balanced’, believes that the hosts can tumble the visitors in the red-ball format.

Also Read | 'He can serve India in all three formats': Gavaskar identifies 24-year-old batter as 'fabulous talent'

“There are some youngsters as some seniors have been rested. But it is still a very balanced squad. In the spin department, they have Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar, who are very experienced options. In the pace department, they have Siraj and Umesh Yadav. In the batting department, Rohit Sharma, Kohli, Pant have been rested. Overall, the Indian side picked looks like a decent one. They should get the better of New Zealand,” he added.

The India-New Zealand Tests will start after the conclusion of the three-match T20I series between the two nations. The opening Test will be played in Kanpur from November 25, while the second encounter will begin in Mumbai from December 3.

Get the Cricket Live Score! including IPL Matches and track ICC rankings shifts, Cricket Schedule, and Players Stats along with detailed score profiles of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill.