Former cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth has lambasted Ajinkya Rahane and Riyan Parag, saying that the two players are in a battle to earn the tag of being the worst batter. Both Rahane and Parag are endearing a tough run in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Srikkanth did not hold back in criticising them.
While Parag, the captain of Rajasthan Royals, has managed to score only 61 runs in six matches, Rahane, the skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders has accumulated 152 runs in as many games including back-to-back ducks in previous two outings.
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The poor run has seen the two players earn the ire of the 1983 World Cup-winning player. "Parag, as usual, is fit only for his stylish walks after doing nothing with bat and ball," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
"Who is worse, him or Ajinkya Rahane?" Srikkanth's son Anirudha asked him.
"They are fighting for the worst batter's tag. Parag did well one season and that is it," Srikkanth responded.
Srikkanth, who also captained India, also criticised Parag's captaincy during RR's match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The 66-year-old pointed out that Parag was wrong in asking Ravindra Jadeja to bowl just one over in the match.
"He's only there for style. As usual, he did nothing with the bat and spoke at the post-match presentation. He's just there for style and does nothing else. He doesn't bowl Jadeja an over and then offers an explanation that a left-hander was playing. Is there some rule that a left-arm spinner can't bowl to a left-hander? It's absurd," Srikkanth said in a video on his YouTube channel.
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Meanwhile the veteran heaped praise on Mumbai Indians following their 99-run win over Gujarat Titans.
"MI have the ability to do well in big matches, which can suddenly vault them into the playoffs. After this match, there is no way anyone can write MI off. KKR and LSG, of course, are already knocked out. They'll only fight for ninth versus tenth," he added.
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