VVS Laxman slams Ajinkya Rahane for poor shot selection in 1st Test

Former India cricketer VVS Laxman has slammed stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane for playing a poor shot that led to his dismissal on day 1 of the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur.

Rahane, who came into this game with bare minimum runs under his belt, needed to big knock to answer his critics. He walked in at No.4 and looked settled playing shots well under his eyes. But a lapse in concentration caused his dismissal. Kyle Jamieson, who was pick of the Kiwi bowlers, induced a false shot from India’s Test veteran, only to find the edge before the ball crashed onto the stumps.

Speaking of his dismissal, VVS Laxman stressed that Ajinkya Rahane could have gotten away with the angled-batted shot in overseas conditions but not in Kanpur. Speaking on Star Sports show, Laxman said:

“The moment AJinkya Rahane came into the crease, what did Kyle Jamieson do? He goes to short-pitch deliveries. We know Rahane has only one option against short-pitched deliveries, which is to play the pull shot. It was an instinctive shot that led to his dismissal. It’s okay to play besides the line in places like South Africa and Australia even if there is not much width, because of the bounce, you can hit through the square of the wicket.”

He added:

“In Kanpur, you can’t play the ball where there is no bounce at all. You have to play with the full face of the bat, maybe a vertical bat. You can’t play with an angled bat.”

Ajinkya Rahane got out after a well made 35 but will be itching after failing to convert the starts. He has had a lean patch in the last couple of years, scoring only 1019 runs in 35 innings at an average of just over 30 since the start of 2016.

Meanwhile, India are well placed at 258/4 after Shreyas Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja rescued India with a 115-run stand for the fifth wicket. The overnight batters will hope to carry on the momentum on day 2 and propel India to a big total.