Ajinkya Rahane misses out on his lucky break, Twitterati come up with mixed reactions

As the third and the final Test of the ongoing series between South Africa and India was inching towards its commencement, a lot of discussion was about the Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane was surprisingly omitted from the Indian lineup from the first two Tests. This had come as a big surprise for many as Rahane was a pre-series favorite to perform in the South African conditions.

Playing in the overseas conditions is never an easy deal. And Ajinkya Rahane, by virtue, was hailed as the premier Indian cricketer in testing conditions. Despite his ability and the reputation, Rahane was not included in the side. And, surprisingly again, the team management went ahead with Rohit Sharma in the lineup.

It is worth noting that Rohit Sharma had a dismal run in South Africa conditions. And, it did not improve much this time either. Having said that, the team management stressed on the fact that Rohit was picked owing to his superior form in the recent times. Also, at the very same time, Rahane’s cumulative of 17 runs in 5 Test innings in the home series against Sri Lanka did not help his cause.

Amidst this backdrop, many believed that it was high time Ajinkya Rahane got his due share of chance in the series. With the series already lost, India had nothing but pride to play for as the Indian captain walked for the toss. Kohli won the toss and revealed that Rahane was playing instead of Rohit. The moment arrived for Rahane to show his prowess after the dismissal of Virat Kohli.

Kohli, before his dismissal, had stitched a marathon partnership with Cheteshwar Pujara in terms of time spent at the crease. Hence, the challenge was not going to be easy for Rahane. Rahane did well to see the first few minutes of his stay at the crease. But he had to walk back after scoring 9 off 27 deliveries. It was a Morne Morkel delivery that nipped back in to him. One could easily tip him to be unlucky as it was a very close call. But in the end, the much hyped Rahane show came to a meek end.

Here is how the fans react to the dismissal of Ajinkya Rahane:

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