Ajinkya Rahane Suggests Bowling Change for India’s 4th Test After Lord’s Defeat

Sports News: Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane, who is also the former captain of India, has suggested a bowling change in India's playing 11 for the fourth test. Rahane, the right-handed middle-order batter, has been a veteran Test batter for India across formats. Especially in the tests, the batter has been among the best batters in India. He led India to a historic Border-Gavaskar Trophy win in 2020-21, even after Virat Kohli's absence, who flew home for personal reasons. Not to forget that the series win came after a bizarre loss in the first test at Adelaide, where India was dismissed for 36 in the second innings.

Rahane feels the need for an extra bowler

India lost the Lord's test, failing to chase 192 in the fourth innings. Former skipper Ajinkya Rahane feels that India should add one more bowling option in their 11. "We all know that Days 4 and 5 get slightly difficult to bat on. It's not easy to score runs. Yes, England bowled really well. But I felt India missed an opportunity to get that big score on the board in the first innings. And also, I feel going forward, India should look to add one extra bowler — because you're going to win a Test match or a Test series by getting 20 wickets," Rahane said on his YouTube channel.

Who can be the extra bowler?

The options among the extra bowlers are Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and the chinaman, Kuldeep Yadav. It will depend on the conditions at Old Trafford that will influence India to make such a decision. Whether they would want to replace an extra bowler with an all-rounder like Nitish Reddy or Washington Sundar. Both the all-rounders performed well; Reddy picked three wickets, while Sundar picked four in the second innings.

Rahane on India's defeat at Lord's

On his YouTube channel, Rahane praised the efforts made by Ben Stokes throughout the match. not only with just bat and ball, but also with the fielding, running out Rishabh Pant with a direct hit. "It's very easy for the fielder to get relaxed," Rahane noted. "When you see only two or three balls left before lunch, you can easily get relaxed. But his attitude towards the ball, his intensity, and getting that run-out — that's where I felt England came into the game," said Rahane.