In what was set to be a tough call, India decided to pick Ajinkya Rahane for the number five spot in the playing XI for the series opener against South Africa at Centurion. The decision to keep faith in the former vice-captain meant both Shreyas Iyer and Hanuman Vihari had to sit out.
The decision by Virat Kohli & Co. has become a major talking point as the marquee series kicks off with opinions divided on the issue. Former Indian cricketers Aakash Chopra and Ajit Agarawal were critical of the decision.
Talking on Star Sports, Chopra said, “Shreyas Iyer doesn’t find a place in the spot and you’ve gone with Rahane, I think so it’s the last throw of dice, hoping that it comes alright. If it doesn’t, I think this is going to be a huge Test match for him.”
He also questioned the decision to play five bowlers and said that four bowlers would have been enough for India to take 20 wickets against the current South African batting unit. “We have gone with five bowlers, personally I thought four were enough. I think if there is help in the surface for the faster bowlers, look at the opposition their batting is really not setting the world on fire four should be enough between three fast bowlers and Ashwin,” said Chopra.
Meanwhile, Agarkar echoed Chopra’s words about the team selection and claimed Iyer or Vihari should have made the cut ahead of Rahane. He said, “Rahane did miss the last Test India played in Mumbai due to a niggle so you can say he’s back in because he is an experienced campaigner, has done well before in these conditions. But I’m with Aakash, I would have either picked Vihari or Shreyas Iyer.”
Rahane has had a forgettable year with the bat as he scored just 411 runs in 12 Test matches at an average of 19.57. In this period, he has only two 50+ scores.
Meanwhile, Hanuman Vihari was bizarrely left out of India’s squad for the home series against New Zealand in order to travel with the ‘India A’ team to South Africa where he impressed with the bat. On the other hand, Iyer made his debut against New Zealand in the Kanpur Test and scored a century in the first innings and a half-century in the second.
