India won the series 1-0 after dominating the play versus New Zealand in the Mumbai Test. However, Ajinkya Rahane’s form has become one of the hosts’ primary concerns. The batsman has recently gone through a dry spell with his bat and has struggled to rack up significant runs.
In the Kanpur Test, he also scored 35 and 4 in the 1st and 2nd innings, correspondingly. His recent average has also been a source of concern for the team. Rahane dropped the 2nd Test after injuring his left hamstring while fielding on the last day of the Kanpur Test.
India captain Virat Kohli, on the other hand, has spoken out in support of Rahane. He believes the participants are fully aware of the topic in which they need to progress. “I cannot judge Ajinkya’s 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 key Test matches,” Kohli said in an Interaction.
We know the amount of hard work and effort that goes into it: Kohli
Virat Kohli also stated that it is critical to support players who have performed well enough for the team for a long time. The Indian captain also stated that the squad and officials have never opted on any player’s removal depending on outside conversations.
“If there is some pressure on an individual and 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”.
“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,” the 33-year-old added
