Kohli backs Rahane but a spot in the test team is still up in the air!

Being a captain of the side, backing a player is not only your job but your responsibility as well. Ajinkya Rahane, who averages less than 20 in test cricket in the year 2021, is very likely to be out of the team for the important South Africa tour. The vice captain of the side didn’t take part in the second test between India versus New Zealand where India defeated the Kiwis by 372 runs. The board hasn’t issued a statement regarding the same but captain Kohli mentioned that he suffered an injury in his hamstring on the fifth day of the first test match.

Majority of the fans want Rahane to get dropped and a deserving candidate should get the opportunity. Shreyas Iyer has been fantastic in his debut series and he is one of the contenders to replace Rahane as Hanuma Vihari might get a call after what happened in the social media when he was excluded from the team. Shubman Gill may also play in the middle order as Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have proved their worth as an opener in the longest format of the game.

This is all happening on social media. There’s no news from the team or from the board and thus it can all be just a speculation. Whether Rahane will be dropped or not, we will see that but Captain Kohli backs his deputy as of now. In the post match presser, the captain said, “I cannot judge Ajinkya’ form. I think no one can judge it. The individual knows the areas of the game he needs to work hard. We need to back players who have come up with impact performances for us in the past under tough situations in test matches”.

King Kohli also mentioned that they don’t entertain all these talks in the dressing room. “If there is some pressure on an individual, people start creating an environment wherein everyone is asking ‘what will happen next?’ We don’t entertain that as a team. We cannot expect that balance outside. The same people who praise certain players want them out of the team after two months”, said Kohli.

In the post match presser, Virat clearly mentioned that he will not be selecting players based on the chatter outside. The effort and the hard work matters as well. “We have never reacted like that and we never will because we know the amount of hard work and effort that goes into it. We will support him. Whether it is Ajinkya or someone else, we won’t make a decision based on the atmosphere outside”.