Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed his reservations about labeling Ajinkya Rahane as India’s crisis man, despite his impressive innings of 89 against Australia on day three of the World Test Championship final. Rahane, who returned to the Indian Test side after a 17-month hiatus, showcased his skill and resilience with crucial contributions in domestic cricket and the IPL. Additionally, the injuries to Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul further solidified his place in the team.

Although Rahane’s knock provided much-needed stability to India when they were struggling at 152/6, Manjrekar believes it is premature to crown him as the crisis man. As reported by Hindustan Times, Manjrekar acknowledged Rahane’s admirable performance against Australia but cautioned that the danger is not yet averted, as the opposition still holds the upper hand in the contest.

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Manjrekar pointed out that Rahane has had a tendency to follow significant innings with relatively low scores throughout his Test career. However, he also expressed the possibility of witnessing a new side of Rahane in the ongoing match.

“I don’t think Ajinkya Rahane can be called a batter in crisis. There’s another innings to go, the crisis has to be averted in a way that you either draw or win the game. But this innings, solely on the kind of odds… he’s done brilliant,” remarked Sanjay Manjrekar during an ESPNCricinfo interview.

While Manjrekar acknowledged Rahane’s brilliance, he emphasized the need for consistency in order to truly solidify his reputation as a crisis man. The former cricketer is eager to see if Rahane can carry his momentum into the second innings and establish himself as a transformed Test batter.

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“To call him the player in crisis… he has played an odd innings, but the old Ajinkya Rahane would follow it with low scores. Who knows, the new Ajinkya Rahane could be the Test batter 2.0. Maybe, he can carry it in the second innings as well,” concluded Sanjay Manjrekar.