Ajinkya Rahane has to raise his game, there are no two ways about it: Deep Dasgupta

Deep Dasgupta believes Ajinkya Rahane needs to start pulling his weight in the middle order after England thumped India by 227 runs in the first Test in Chennai.

Rahane scored 1 & 0 respectively in the two innings against the visitors.

Ajinkya Rahane won many plaudits for the way he led India to an improbable series win in Australia. However, his batting performances have come under the scanner.

Deep Dasgupta talked about how apart from his hundred in Melbourne, Rahane underperformed even in Australia.

"Ajinkya Rahane has to raise his game; there are no two ways about it. He's got that hundred (Boxing Day Test vs Australia last year) even apart from that his average was in the 30s despite that knock. You would want your top order (to contribute), and it was the first innings (where India lost the game). At the end of the day, it was the 1st innings where you should have scored more runs." Dasgupta said on Sports Today.

Ajinkya Rahane got a peach of a delivery from James Anderson in the second innings which knocked his off stump.

The batsman was slightly unlucky in the first innings as he hit a full-toss from Dom Bess towards cover, where Joe Root took a spectacular one-handed catch.

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Virat Kohli backs Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane & Virat Kohli

On the back of India's big defeat against England in the first Test, skipper Virat Kohli was asked about Ajinkya Rahane's lack of runs.

The Indian captain defended his deputy and backed him to come good.

"If you’re trying to dig something out, you’re not going to get anything because there is nothing. Ajinkya and I’ve said this many a time in the past as well, that along with Pujara, he is our most important Test batsman, and he’s going to continue to be. We believe in his abilities; we have believed in his abilities for a long time. He’s an impact player," said Virat Kohli in a press conference.

After his brilliant 112 in Melbourne, Ajinkya Rahane has managed scores of 27*, 22, 4, 37, 24, 1 & 0 in the last three Tests since.

But the Indian team management are expected to back him in this home series.