‘If you want to just occupy crease, call a security guard’: India’s former chief selector slams Ajinkya Rahane
India’s 1983 World Cup hero Sandeep Patil slammed the batsman for being over-cautious in the middle and failing to help out his team in difficult situations.
Virat Kohli-led Indian team suffered a Test series whitewash against New Zealand after a disappointing batting performance. India’s middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane, who managed to get a decent start, failed to capitalise on them. In four innings, Rahane scored just 91 runs at an average of 21.50. India’s former chief selector slammed the batsman for being over-cautious in the middle and failing to help out his team in difficult situations.
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Speaking to Times of India, Patil said that a batsman decides to play slow when he is afraid of failure. “I heard about this (batting slowly) when he was playing for Mumbai this season. This happens due to fear of failure. He has led India, he’s got a tremendous overseas record, but all that’s history. Now that he’s been labelled only as a Test player, been out of the India’s limited overs team, human nature is such that one wants to establish himself as a Test specialist. He’s trying to prove a point,” he said.
Patil further went on to add: “By doing that, you try to show that ‘I’ll be technically correct. I’ll try to occupy the crease. If you want to just ‘occupy,’ you can call a security guard! Who’ll score the runs?”
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The former right-hander clarified that he does not want Rahane to go after every ball. “I’m not saying throw your bat around. However, when you’ve so many hundreds behind you, this approach is not acceptable. An ordinary player like me survived on foreign soil, these players are champions,” he said.
The 1983 World Cup hero Sandeep Patil added that coach Ravi Shastri and his staff also needs to share responsibility for the same. “If Rahane isn’t understanding this, what is Shastri (chief coach), and the batting coach doing? If one batsman goes into a shell, the others follow, and the team suffers. Those who bat after such batsmen feel that the bowling is too good,” he said.
