'1 inning mai chala toh vice captain bana do' - Fans react as Ajinkya Rahane fails in second Test against West Indies in Port of Spain

Ajinkya Rahane (Source: Twitter)

Ajinkya Rahane has been one of the mainstays in Indian cricket for a long time. The batter from Mumbai was one of the best Indian batters in the longest format of the game till 2016. Since 2017, Rahane has been mediocre at best for India in Test cricket. 2019 was the only year in which Rahane averaged more than 40 in the period 2017 to 2023.

From 2017 to July 2023, the Indian Vice-captain has scored 2805 runs in 53 matches at an average of 33.39, at a strike rate of 46.98, including 4 hundred and 17 fifty. In 2022, Rahane was dropped from the side due to constant failures. Now in 2023, Rahne has not just made a comeback to the side but has also become the vice-captain of the side.

Inconsistency even after the comeback

In the World Test Championship final against Australia this year, Rahane performed well as he scored 89 and 46 respectively in two innings. But in the ongoing series against West Indies, Rahane has failed to perform, which only shows his inconsistency. In the two innings in the series against West Indies till now, Rahane does not have a double-digit score.

While many have rightfully criticized the batter, many others have defended the batter pointing to his success against Australia in the one-off final. Many even went to the extent of defending the batter for his failures and inconsistency. Either way, Rahane has been a Centerpiece of discussion since his comeback to the side.

In the first Test, Rahane scored only 3 runs in 11 deliveries and was undone by Kemar Roach. In the second Test, Rahane failed yet again, as he scored only 8 runs in 36 balls. In the two innings, Rahane has a combined average of 5.5 in the series, which is too little for a batter of his class despite the less sample size. For someone with the added responsibilities of that of a vice-captain, Rahane must lead by example, which he has failed to do so till now.

Here's how the fans reacted to Ajinkya Rahane's failures:

He plays in crucial matches for sure
Against wi even Ashwin can score
So it doesn't matter at all

— Effortless Swagger #OG (@KalyanBabu696) July 21, 2023

Should be last match for him. Iyer will be fit for the next test series and should replace Rahane.

— Rashid (@Rash_sf) July 20, 2023

He can only score in eng,aus on true bounce pitches..

— Mission2024 (@MisalMum) July 20, 2023

Virat Kohli - finished
Ajinkya Rahane - finsihed

Both are burden on this team, Kohli struggling even again club standard bowling.

— Don Corleone Parody (@Saffron_Archer1) July 20, 2023

Seems like Jaiswal and Rohit in the first session were batting on a different pitch!

— Pooh (@ThodaYehThodaWo) July 20, 2023

rahane has played his final test inning . happy retirement .

— Sahil Singh Bhatia (@sahilsingh333) July 20, 2023

After all the IPL swag, now, back to good old days

— Ramkrishna Iyer (@KannanK51531500) July 21, 2023

He played well when it was necessary.. in WTC final

— who’s this guy (@realjabronii) July 20, 2023

Oh no but he played well in IPL ..should be backed..😂

— Archer (@poserarcher) July 20, 2023