Aakash Chopra On Ajinkya Rahane’s Future In The Test Team

The dynamics inside Indian cricket may seem to be a bit disconcerting at the present, but players are putting up their best efforts to make the South African series meaningful, keeping the impending schedule in mind. Similarly, KL Rahul has been appointed as the vice-captain for Virat Kohli in the Test series since Rohit Sharma would miss the whole series owing to an injury. Despite that, Team India will want to play some really good cricket.

According to former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra, who was speaking about the same, Ajinkya Rahane may find it tough to earn a position in the XI going forward. With Rahul as vice-captain, Rahane’s spot in Test XI seems to be in jeopardy, according to Chopra, who pointed out that Rahane had been on a lengthy low run-scoring streak. The team is playing some good live cricket but the batsman has struggled to leave his mark.

Speaking of Rahane, he has only managed two fifties and a century in his previous 16 Tests, for an unacceptably low average of 24.39. This has put him under the scanner and the fans have been criticizing him for his recent performances. He has not really lived up to expectations and since he is only part of the Test side at present, could see his career end on a low.

Further, Chopra said that Rahul may be nominated as a deputy in one-day internationals (ODIs) since things in Indian cricket are evolving at a rapid rate. After leading India just a Test match before at Kanpur, Rahane will find it difficult to earn a place in their final XI when they face off against South Africa on December 26th.

Even though Ajinkya Rahane was captain just a handful of Tests ago, he is not even the vice-captain at the moment: Aakash Chopra

“KL Rahul has been named India’s Test vice-captain (for the upcoming South Africa series) in the absence of Rohit Sharma, who has been injured. Rohit is the captain of the white-ball forms,” stated Aakash Chopra in a video posted on Koo.com.

“I believe Rahul will be named vice-captain in one-day internationals as well. It is possible that Ajinkya Rahane would struggle to gain a position in the playing XI. He was captain for a handful of Test matches earlier this year, but he isn’t even the vice-captain at the moment. Changes are taking place in Indian cricket,” Chopra said.

India will take on South Africa in a three-match Test series starting on Boxing Day, which will be followed by an equal number of One-Day Internationals. The planned Twenty20 Internationals have been postponed for the time being owing to the danger of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron in South Africa, which has caused the series to be delayed.

What next for Team India, can they make an impact in South Africa?

The series against South Africa will be a crucial one historically. The visitors will want to win the Test series and break the jinx which has been haunting them for quite some time now. With that being said, the players will be pumped up and ready to get the job done.

This will come at the back of a long break that the players finally got after the series against New Zealand. Cricket has been played in full flow despite the pandemic and the growing cases of Covid-19. With that being said, the series will excite the fans, who have been looking for some really good and competitive cricket in the past few months.

Though Team India has seen a change in leadership in the shorter formats of the game, Virat Kohli remains to be the skipper in the longest one. He will want to get back to leading the side and making an impact in the format that he loves to play. Team India has done really well in this format in recent times and will once again want to impress and take back something to showcase for their skilful play.

Let’s wait and watch to see how things develop in the days to come. The first game of the three-match Test series starts on Boxing Day. It will be interesting to see how the Indian team performs against the Proteas, who will be keen to make an impact at home.