On Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer’s Lack Of Form, Shardul Thakur’s “Easy To Criticise” Verdict

Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer may need did not snap their lean run, however Mumbai all-rounder Shardul Thakur on Sunday positioned belief in them to return to run-making methods and exhorted for backing the senior batters throughout their battle interval. Rahane and Shreyas fell for equivalent seven in opposition to Vidarbha because the 41-time champions’ first innings folded for 224 on the Wankhede Stadium. “Ajinkya is not scoring runs throughout the season. He is not in the greatest of the forms. We cannot blame him as it is just a phase for him where he is not getting runs,” Thakur instructed the media after the primary day’s play.

“It’s only a tough patch for them. That’s what I might say (about) Shreyas (and) Ajinkya. These guys have been absolute match-winners for Mumbai and India.” Thakur also urged everyone to support the seasoned pros in their down phase.

“Right now, it’s not their time; it’s time to support them rather than criticising them because it’s easy to criticise,” Thakur said.

Rahane has so far made just 141 runs from eight matches at an average of 12.81 with a solitary fifty.

Shreyas, on the other hand, has not been regular for Mumbai this season owing to his national commitments but his return to the domestic circuit has been far from impressive — 58 runs from three games at an average of 19.33 with a highest of 48.

However, Thakur said both Rahane and Shreyas have shown the right attitude on the field, something he believed should work as a pointer to the younger Mumbai players.

“Ajinkya has not scored runs but his attitude on the fielding is top notch. A lot of youngsters coming from U-23 and U-19 cricket in Mumbai don’t have the attitude that he has. You see him in the slips, even if he is fielded for 80 overs, he will sprint (to) save (those) four runs,” Thakur said.

“Shreyas moves around the field like a tiger. He absolutely gives everything that he has on the field. Both of them are role models when they are in the dressing room,” Thakur added.

However, Thakur was disappointed that some of the upcoming batters failed to rise to the occasion as significant as a Ranji Trophy final.

“The different batters…we collectively felt that they need to have proven a greater method. Starting from Bhupen Lalwani as a result of he survived the primary two or three balls in that over (by which he was dismissed) and nonetheless chasing that vast one on the fourth supply, shouldn’t be on,” he mentioned.

Thakur minced no phrases when he mentioned that gamers must put the crew first.

“They have to learn quickly because (the) Mumbai dressing room is not about (your) own self. When you play here, you play for the team. You have to keep your individual scores, your own game aside.

“When you score 20-25 or 30 runs, the next runs are for the team. They have to learn about it.” The 32-year-old mentioned the Mumbai batting unit must regroup within the second innings.

“We simply must regroup as a batting unit. There are going to be powerful days as a batting unit. Probably, we’ll simply have a gathering and determine collectively how are you going to place a giant rating on the board from the primary three or 4 wickets,” he noted.

Thakur rescued Mumbai from a wobbly 111 for six with a counter-punching 75 off 69 balls, an innings that bore similarity to his hundred against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy semifinals a few days back.

“I love to play in tough situations and tough conditions. The kind of life that I have lived travelling far from Palghar to Mumbai with the kit bag on the train, you know it was not easy. That has toughened me up,” he said.

Veteran pacer Dhawal Kulkarni, who will retire after the final, replaced injured Mohit Avasthi in the 11 for the title clash, and Thakur said it was emotional to see his old mate turning up for Mumbai one last time.

“Today morning it was confirmed that he is playing. It was going to be his last game. It was an extremely emotional moment for him.

“It’s an emotional moment for me also because I have watched him since childhood. When I did not have money to buy shoes, he gave me a few pairs of shoes,” Thakur recalled.

Vidarbha’s Harsh Dubey, whose three-wicket haul included Rahane, said he had dreamt of dismissing the experienced batter.

“I enjoyed dismissing Rahane. I had thought before the game that I would dismiss him. I was determined to do it and it was one of my best dismissals in Ranji Trophy,” Dubey said.

“I tried to get him to drive since the ball was coming off slower at that length and I was successful in what I had planned,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)