Former India crickter Deep Dasgupta has addressed the vacant spot in the middle-order due to the without of Virat Kohli in the first Test.
Stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane revealed before that Shreyas Iyer will building his Test debut ahead of Suryakumar Yadav.
🗣️ 🗣️ This team is all about backing everyone & playing for one another. 👍 👍
Ahead of the first @Paytm #INDvNZ Test, #TeamIndia captain @ajinkyarahane88 had this to say. pic.twitter.com/IBxSQGiMMv
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 24, 2021
Suryakumar Yadav was a late extra to the Test team following the injury to KL Rahul. Crickter was on the sidelines during the England tour, where he was an injury replenishment alongisde Prithvi Shaw.
Shreyas Iyer, these however, acquired his maiden call-up for the domestic series against New Zealand and will aspect tomorrow in Kanpur. Conversation during a live Q&A session on his Official YouTube channel, Dasgupta said:
“That was a little bit surprising, you know Surya was there in England, but now Shreyas is not only here now but he is playing as well.
“But, Shreyas has got a very good first-class record, he’s scored over 4500 runs with an average of over 50. So, he’s earned his stripe, it would be wrong to say that he has not.”
Dasgupta also answered to a question which was guided towards Rahane’s potential upcoming with the team and the likely players to replace him in the playing XI.
He believe that the series against New Zealand should not be Rahane’s final opportunity to redeem himself.
“There are enough players to replace Rahane. Gill, I feel is better suited in the middle order. There is Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar, and Hanuma Vihari. Obviously, Rahane’s last two years have not gone that well but, I don’t think this will be the last chance for Rahane, it will be unfair to judge him on the basis of solely this series.
“This series is very important 100%, but he needs to be there for the South Africa series and a call can be taken midway through that tour regarding his future,” Dasgupta opined.
Rahane has been fighting poor form for a extended period of time now with a game-winning ton in the Battle Day Test last year being the only bright spot.
Calls to eliminate him in the latter half of the tour of England were pretty clear, but the management chose to persisit with the resentative.
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