Ajinkya Rahane believes that frequent changes in the playing XI were one of the reasons for India’s defeat in the recently concluded home ODI series against New Zealand.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Rahane said that too many changes in the team compromise the security that a player needs to perform well.
“See, there will be tough questions. India lost five ODIs in the last nine. And that’s the reason: too many changes. Again, that’s why I said you are looking at the World Cup, where players actually need that security, that clarity from management. If you are going to play certain players in that format, it’s always about clarity,” he said.
In the last three ODI series, India’s performance has not been up to the mark. Australia defeated them 2-1 in Australia. In the following series, India won 2-1 against South Africa. In the recently finished series against New Zealand, despite winning the first match, India lost the series 2-1.
Rahane added: “So yes, tough questions will be asked, which is very natural, I feel, because the fans are so connected to Indian cricket. Everyone wants India to do well – to win matches and win series, especially at home. Playing against New Zealand, which was probably a New Zealand A or B team – with due respect to all the players – expectations were that India would win easily, probably 3-0. But the way New Zealand played was amazing. So there will be questions – tough questions. But I feel, from India’s point of view, they just need to follow the process. Identify which players you are going to back, because six months down the line you’re going to play ODI cricket again. You have time. After the T20s, there’s nothing at all.”
Also read- IND vs NZ: Sanjay Manjrekar says India’s ODI series loss to New Zealand ‘No big deal’
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