'Look at bench strength and talent team has got': Zaheer cautions senior India batsman on 'difficult' comeback chance

Rahane was rested from the Mumbai Test against New Zealand on Friday owing to a minor left hamstring strain which he had incurred while fielding in the final day of the opening Test in Kanpur.

Former India pacer Zaheer Khan on Friday cautioned senior Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane on how difficult it has become to get an opportunity back in this Indian line-up given the bench strength and talent. Rahane was rested from the Mumbai Test against New Zealand on Friday owing to a minor left hamstring strain which he had incurred while fielding in the final day of the opening Test in Kanpur.

Zaheer Khan (Getty Images)

Zaheer's comment came amid Rahane's string of poor returns since his Melbourne century which includes his scores of 35 and 4 in the Kanpur game which saw his career batting average fall to 39.01, the lowest he has recorded since February 2014.

Despite the caution and his present form, Zaheer believes that had Rahane been dropped from the Indian Test side, he would have got a comeback opportunity.

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"If you're unfit, then let it be. It's not like if you get dropped from the team, you'll not get chance(s) to make a comeback. But, yes, it's difficult to get chances in this Indian team," Zaheer said during an interaction on Cricbuzz.

"You have to look at the bench strength and the talent the Indian team has got. Even the domestic players are pushing forward to make a claim. So, the players who are part of the Indian setup, they know that they have to perform consistently to remain in the team," he added.

India's head coach Rahul Dravid too remains unfazed on Rahane's form and rather said that "it's just a matter of an innings", after New Zealand eked out a draw in the opener.

Dravid was asked if he was worried about Rahane's lack of runs. "I don't get worried, you don't get worried," Dravid said. "Of course you would like more runs from Ajinkya. I am sure he would like a few more runs. He is a quality player. He has done well for India in the past. He is one of those guys who has that quality. He has the experience. Hopefully it's just a matter of an innings, a matter of a game where he can turn it around. Certainly he would like to score more runs. He knows that. And we know that."