"He would know he didn't make the series count" - Dinesh Karthik on Ajinkya Rahane's underwhelming performance vs WI

Dinesh Karthik believes that Ajinkya Rahane would be aware that he failed to make the most of his chances in the recently concluded two-match Test series against the West Indies.

Karthik opined that while Rahane couldn't make a mark in the series, he should still retain his place in the Indian side for their next red-ball assignment against South Africa in December.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik said:

"Ajinkya Rahane had a very ordinary series. You got to understand he had a really good WTC final, hence was picked and also nominated as vice-captain of the series. A lot of surprises there because you could see there was a lot of talk about how come he has been made vice-captain, but that didn't matter to Ajinkya Rahane. He got two opportunities with the bat, and on both occasions, he was found wanting."

"Yes, these are tough pitches and sometimes it can be a tough series as well, but the thing with Ajinkya Rahane over a period of time has been consistency," he added. "That's why he lost his place in the team. He would know he didn't make the series count. But he is the kind of player who you think should be on the flight to South Africa because, in those big moments, you get the feeling that he will make it count."

Notably, there were high expectations from Ajinkya Rahane after he emerged as one of the top performers for the Men in Blue in the World Test Championship (WTC 2023) final last month. However, he could only manage 11 runs from two innings.

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"Quite a comeback after being left out in the WTC final" - Dinesh Karthik on Ravichandran Ashwin

Dinesh Karthik further reserved high praise for Ravichandran Ashwin following the seasoned spinner's exceptional performances in the West Indies Test series.

He noted that the veteran off-spinner was able to make a brilliant comeback after failing to make it to the playing XI in the WTC 2023 final, adding:

"Quite a comeback after being left out of in the WTC final. We have spoken a lot about him. A man of steel, done brilliant things in the series. Also, it takes a lot of mental effort, courage, grit, and determination to come out there in the series and do what he has done. Phenomenal effort yet again by Ravichandran Ashwin."

Ashwin finished as the leading wicket-taker of the series with 15 scalps from four innings. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer was also impressive with the bat, scoring 56 runs in the second Test.

Karthik also mentioned that Jaydev Unadkat didn't look very effective, elaborating:

"He has been such a potent bowler in domestic cricket, but when it comes to international cricket, he has got his opportunity now. He did pretty decently in Bangladesh, but in this series, he has not been a patch of what he has been in the recent past."

It is worth mentioning that Unadkat failed to pick up a single wicket in the two-match Test series.