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‘He was found wanting’: Karthik names Rahane and Shubman Gill as India's lows in West Indies Tests
Dinesh Karthik, while talking about the lows for India in the series which they won 1-0 after the 2nd Test was a draw, said Rahane was “found wanting”.
A chip to the short cover fielder for 3 and then an inside edge back onto his stumps for 8. 11 runs in two innings at an average of 5 - This has been Ajinkya Rahane's returns in the recently-concluded two-match series against the West Indies. In a series where Rohit Sharma (two fifties and a century), Yashasvi Jaiswal (171 and a half-century) and Virat Kohli (a half-century and a century) have scored runs for fun, it does not show Rahane in a good light, especially the stage where he is at his career now.
There has been a lot of chatter around ever since Rahane made a comeback to the Indian side for the World Test Championship final against Australia following injuries to KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. On his return to the Test side after 15 months, Rahane returned as India's top-scorer in the WTC final and was retained for the West Indies but what raised eyebrows was the fact that the right-hander was named vice-captain for the two Tests.
While it is true that in the absence of Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul, the options for vice-captain were limited but surely one among Ravichandran Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja could have been given the role, even if it was for just one series. With India's next Test series five months away and KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer set to regain their fitness by then, this was Rahane's only opportunity to cement his place in the Test side.
But the senior pro was disappointing, to say the least. Dinesh Karthik, while talking about the lows for India in the series which they won 1-0 after Day 5 of the 2nd Test was washed out, forcing a draw, said Rahane was "found wanting" in both Dominica and Trinidad.
"Let's talk about the lows of the series. The players probably did not get going. The two batters - Ajinkya Rahane and Shubman Gill. Rahane obviously had a very ordinary series. he had really got the WTC final, hence was picked and also named as vice-captain for this series - A few surprises there. You could see, there was a lot of talk around that. How could he be made the vice-captain but that should not have mattered to Rahane. He got two opportunities with the bat and on both occasions he was found wanting. The thing with Rahane over a period of time has been that critical word, consistency. That's why he had lost his place in the side. He would know, he did not make the series count," Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
The veteran keeper-batter, however, said Rahane should be in India's squad for the South Africa series because of his ability to score in difficult situations.
"He is the kind of player, you think, should be on that flight to South Africa because, on those big moments, you get the feeling that he will make it count. That's been the good part about him but if he is consistent in these low-key series as well, it would really help him considering where he is at in his career," he added.
'Need to be more patient with Shubman Gill': Dinesh Karthik
When talking about Shubman Gill, who registered scores of 6, 10, and 29* in his three outings while batting at No.3, Karthik said the fans need to be more patient with Gill.
"Shubman Gill, we expect the world from him and just like in T20s, he's starting out slowly in Tests. If you look at his scores in Test cricket in the recent past, nothing really to take home. He has really made a mark in ODI cricket and T20s. Now for him to make it big in Test cricket, he has the skill, he has the potential what he needs is a little more patience from our side. He does look apart when he plays well," he said.
