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Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar opined that India missed an experienced batter like Ajinkya Rahane on Day 1 of the ongoing Boxing Day Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion.
After being asked to bat first, India kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Apart from keeper-batter KL Rahul's fighting unbeaten 70-run knock, the remaining batters failed to convert their starts and visibly struggled against the South African bowlers in the seam-friendly conditions.
Gavaskar pointed out how Rahane scored a gutsy 48-run knock on a challenging surface in Johannesburg during India's tour of South Africa in 2017-18. He opined that things might have been different had the seasoned campaigner been part of the squad for this series as well.
He said on commentary:
"People have been talking about the pitch in Johannesburg Test five years back and I was there. Yeah it wasn't the easiest of pitches to bat on, the odd ball was climbing up. And Ajinkya Rahane, who had not been picked for the first two Test matches, was picked for that game and he showed what the Indian team had missed."
"Because earlier on in the first couple of Test matches, India did not lose by big margins. So maybe somebody with Rahane's experience overseas... because Rahane overseas has been such a fine, fine player and maybe if he had been there today, the story could have been completely different."
Ajinkya Rahane played the World Test Championship final against Australia in June. He shone with the bat in the contest, registering scores of 89 and 46. However, he lost his place in the side once again after two failures against West Indies.
"It's a Rahul that we have been yearning to see for such a long time" - Sunil Gavaskar on KL Rahul's knock
Sunil Gavaskar was mighty impressed by KL Rahul's batting exploits on the opening day of the first Test between India and South Africa.
He highlighted how Rahul has performed consistently well since making a return to the national team following an injury layoff. Speaking about the keeper-batter's fighting knock, Gavaskar told Star Sports:
"We've known about his talent for such a long time, but we are getting to see it in the last eight, nine months, ever since he's come back from this horrific injury that he had in the IPL. It's a different Rahul. It's a Rahul that we have been yearning to see for such a long time and such a delight to see. I said it in commentary as well that this half century to me, is as good as a century."
India finished at 208/8 at stumps. KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj will resume their innings on the second day.
