IND vs NZ Test: Ajinkya Rahane walking on thin ice, New Zealand series last chance to keep his spot believes Harbhajan Singh – Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh believes Ajinkya Rahane could land himself in trouble if he fails to get back amongst the runs during the series against New Zealand. Rahane, who is the stand-in captain for the first Test, has struggled for form for some time, and with the likes of Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav all waiting for a spot in the side.
IND vs NZ Test: Ajinkya Rahane walking on thin ice, New Zealand series last chance to keep his spot believes Harbhajan Singh
India vs New Zealand: While previewing the IND vs NZ 1st Test in a video on Sportskeeda, former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh opined that the series could be make or break for Ajinkya Rahane with a long waiting list. Harbhajan Singh said, “There’s no Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma has opted to rest himself. Then there’s Ajinkya Rahane; we were wondering whether he’ll be in the team or not. But he has been handed the captaincy (for the first Test).
The former off-spinner added, “His last 11 matches haven’t gone too well as he is averaging just 19 (19.58). He is a brilliant cricketer but his performance hasn’t quite backed him. But it’s also good to see the thinking of Rohit, Virat, and Rahul Dravid as they believe that Rahane should be in the team.”
IND vs NZ Test: Ajinkya Rahane walking on thin ice, New Zealand series last chance to keep his spot believes Harbhajan Singh
India vs New Zealand: Harbhajan Singh added, “Now that he has been given the captaincy, I hope he takes the team forward and also scores runs with the bat so we can see him playing for a little more. If he doesn’t score runs, the queue (of players waiting in the ranks) behind him is very long. There’s Suryakumar Yadav among others waiting in line.”
Suryakumar Yadav was added to the Indian team for the New Zealand series, while Shreyas Iyer will be making his debut during the 1st Test. Shubman Gill is also being considered as a middle-order option for the future, while Hanuma Vihari, who played heroically in the Sydney Test with a hamstring injury, is also another option for the squad.