‘A batsman who seems extremely insecure’ – Sanjay Manjrekar opines on Ajinkya Rahane’s lean patch

Sanjay Manjrekar, the former Indian batsman, said that Ajinkya Rahane’s batting hasn’t been as per expectations in recent times. In the ongoing Test series against England, the Indian Test vice-captain has managed only 112 runs from six innings at a dismal average of 18.66. Barring the 67 he got in the first innings of the second Test, Rahane has strained to even touch the double digits.

Manjrekar mentioned that Rahane hasn’t looked convincing by any means and he has shown signs of insecurity of late. In the first innings of the ongoing Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Rahane scored 27 runs with four fours, but then he got out to James Anderson.

Manjrekar shares his opinions on Ajinkya Rahane

“Coming to Ajinkya Rahane’s wicket, every time I see him bat these days, I don’t get that comfort…. Ajinkya Rahane doesn’t give you that security that the team needs or his fans would want from him. That’s something that has been wrong with his batting for a long time now,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying to ESPNcricinfo.

“Every time I see Ajinkya Rahane bat these days, I feel a batsman short of confidence, a batsman who seems extremely insecure,” he added.

The 55-year-old Manjrekar told that Rahane tried to take the attacking route, but didn’t look convincing in his stroke-making.

“Rahane stood out with his (aggressive) approach. Rahane has batted in this way in the last 3-4 years. There have been times when he plays all these shots. But even when he plays in this fashion, not all the shots that we saw were convincing. So yes, he has scored freely but wasn’t giving too much confidence to the batsmen who were watching from the dressing room,” Manjrekar added.

Back in December 2020, Rahane scored a sparkling century against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, helping India to an equalizer in the four-match series. Ever since then, he has gotten into the 20s and 30s but hasn’t been able to convert them.

As far as the ongoing Test against Joe Root and Co is concerned, India are well on the driver’s seat with their lead past 100 in the first innings. Rishabh Pant’s 101 bailed the hosts out of jail after they were reduced to 146 for six in 58.1 overs.