Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar advised senior players Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ishant Sharma to remain hopeful and continue performing in the domestic circuit to regain their place in the Indian Test squad.
The trio was axed along with Wriddhiman Saha ahead of the 2-match Test series against Sri Lanka at home. The reason is that Rahane and Pujara are out of form while Saha’s services weren’t needed anymore as the management is looking to groom a younger keeper.
Speaking about the matter on Star Sports, Bangar said: “Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ishant Sharma – they have served Indian cricket brilliantly for many years. There are question marks raised on their future when such experienced players are dropped or when they are not selected.”
“But Rahane and Pujara are still quite young, even Ishant Sharma is quite young. So they should not lose hope, they have to go back and continue playing domestic cricket.”
“They can think of going and playing even in county cricket” – Sanjay Bangar
Bangar stated that county cricket in England is also an option since the matches there are going on year-round. So the more the practice, the better it is for Rahane and Pujara. They can work on the chinks in their batsmanship and try to return to the Test squad.
“Maybe Ajinkya and Cheteshwar can think of going and playing even in county cricket because that’s where they will get the opportunity to play cricket year around.
“Taking into account the international schedule and calendar, if there are openings at certain points in time, I am pretty sure they will try and force their way back into the Indian team,” Bangar added.
For now, India has three options in Hanuma Vihari, Shreyas Iyer, and Shubman Gill to replace the likes of Rahane and Pujara. They will be tested when India faces off against Sri Lanka from March 4 in the first Test.
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