'He was removed like a fly from milk' - Aakash Chopra questions Ajinkya Rahane's exclusion from ODI team

The No.4 conundrum is something which has been haunting Team India for quite a while now. A plethora of batsmen were tried at the position before KL Rahul recently cemented his place at the No.4 slot. Rahul, on the back of his batting expeditions as well as wicketkeeping skills, has emerged as a vital cog of the Virat Kohli-led side.

However, Aakash Chopra, on his YouTube channel, questioned the exclusion of India’s vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane from the ODI squad. According to the cricketer-turned-commentator, Rahane was performing exceedingly well at the No.4 spot when he was dropped from the side. Rahane, according to Chopra, is the perfect fit for India as the right-hander has that orthodox technique which the team approaches in ODI cricket.

“His numbers at No. 4 were good. And at number 4, if you are giving good performances, consistently playing well and strike rate is also around 94, then why are you not giving him more chances?” said Chopra on his YouTube channel.

Chopra even said that it was unfair to drop Rahane from the squad all of a sudden. “He was dropped all of a sudden, just like you remove a fly from milk. Why was something like that done? I feel he was hard done by,” added Chopra.

Comparing India’s batting approach to England, Chopra said that the Men in Blue haven’t embraced the all-attacking explosive approach. India being still connected to the traditional orthodox batting approach, Chopra sees no issue in slotting Rahane back into the ODI squad.

“If India had become like England, that they will score 350 in every match, that is the only way they will play, whether it goes their way of not. We didn’t do like that. We still play cricket in the traditional orthodox way. We still build the innings and pick a team that can score around 325, so Ajinkya Rahane would have fitted in that,” said Chopra.

Ajinkya Rahane should get an opportunity again: Aakash Chopra

Rahane has amassed 411 runs in the 10 innings he has played at No.4 position since July 2015, at an impressive average of 51.37 and an equally good strike rate of 96.

Remembering Rahane’s batting exploits in the South Africa series, Chopra opined that the Mumbai batsman should be given another opportunity to don the coloured jersey. Rahane had scored 140 runs in the six matches which he played in the ODI series against South Africa in 2018.

“So, in my opinion, it was slightly unfair to him because when he was dropped from the ODI team he was absolutely fine. So when you are not playing someone after he has done well, you are not doing the right thing,” said Chopra.

“In fact when he played in South Africa, there also he did well. I remember that it was in 2018. He should get an opportunity again,” he added.

Here’s the video: