Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar believes India’s vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane was looking for a single to get to his fifty after he was dismissed for 49 runs in the first innings of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand.
Rahane played a half-hearted shot, which took a top edge and ballooned to Tom Latham at square-leg. In fact, Rahane was troubled by a short delivery by Neil Wagner just before his dismissal and could not time his pull shot.
The New Zealand captain Kane Willaimson had his field set for a short ball and Rahane took the bait and it was a soft dismissal in the end. Rahane fell one short of what would have been his 24th fifty.
“Only explanation is that he was going for his fifty, he was looking to get a single to reach his milestone by a little dab on the onside. In the end, the ball bounced and he couldn’t control, in fact, the ball before that too he couldn’t control it,” Gavaskar said in commentary.
On the other hand, former Indian batsman VVS Laxman added that the batsman has to know where his off-stump is and should be a good player of short ball at the International stage, otherwise he will be a target of the opposition. Laxman recalled that Sachin Tendulkar told him the same during the nascent stages of his career.
“It was the same planning in Christchurch too. He (Rahane) needs to address this. Wagner forced Rahane to play a half-hearted pull shot. He will be disappointed with this. When I first came to international cricket, Sachin (Tendulkar) told me you have to know where your off stump is and you have to know how to leave the bouncers if the opposition knows you are a compulsive hooker, then they will target you,” Laxman said the post-lunch show on Star Sports.
Meanwhile, Rahane was the top-scorer for the Indian team and he was looking good before he played a loose shot. India were skittled out for 217 runs after Kyle Jamieson scalped his fifth five-wicket haul. The lanky paceman was right on the money as he bowled at the top of his game. New Zealand have got off to a good start as they have scored 84-1 in their first innings.
