Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria has slammed India’s decision to demote Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane to No.6. The Indian vice-captain hasn’t been in his best of form lately and has been constantly struggling to score runs.
In fact, ever since the ongoing 5-match Test series kickstarted, there have been questions raised over the form of Rahane. He has been under scrutiny because of his inconsistent form and poor performance.
Although, he played a crucial role by contributing a match-winning knock of 61-runs at the Lord’s. But his other outings were far from impressive.
In his latest video on his YouTube channel, Danish Kaneria said that he feels that the Indian management is trying to shield Ajinkya Rahane by sending all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja to bat at no. 5. Kaneria reckoned someone like Suryakumar Yadav or Hanuma Vihari should have got the chance ahead of Ajinkya Rahane, who has been out-of-form for a long time.
Kaneria explained how the move to demote Rahane has sent out a wrong message to the opposition. He said:
“I don’t understand why they are saving Ajinkya Rahane. If he isn’t able to perform in this innings then let the gates open for Suryakumar Yadav or Hanuma Vihari. Rahane is not in form and he doesn’t know where his off-stump is. If you know a player isn’t in form then you should have replaced him. A message goes to the opposition that you are saving the batsman,”
Further, he went on to shower praises on the Indian opener, Rohit Sharma, for his stunning century on Day 3. He said:
I really enjoyed the way Rohit Sharma batted, the way he fought out in the first session. The elegance, class, focus and determination were there and India really needed such partnership from their openers. This is how you score in England and it was fantastic to see him bat,”
