Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Monday came out in support of Ajinkya Rahane following a continuous criticism over the batter's form this year.
Rahane is going through a lean patch and was ruled out of the second Test after he "sustained" a minor left hamstring strain while fielding on the final day of the opening match in Kanpur.
Kohli made it clear that no one can judge Rahane's form and the Team needs to back players if they are going through a tough phase.
"I cannot judge Ajinkya's form. I think no one can judge it. The individual knows the areas of the game he needs to work hard. We need to back players who have come up with impact performances for us in the past under tough situations in key Test matches," said Kohli in the press conference after India's win over New Zealand.
"If there is some pressure on an individual and people start creating an environment wherein everyone is asking "what will happen next?", we don't entertain that as a Team. We cannot expect that balance outside. The same people who praise certain players want them out of the team after two months," he added.
The Indian skipper said the Team and management have never made a call on any player's exclusion based on the talks going on outside.
"We have never reacted like that and we never will because we know the amount of hard work and effort that goes into it. We will support him, whether it is Ajinkya or someone else. We won't make a decision based on the atmosphere outside," said Kohli.
India defeated New Zealand by 372 runs in the second Test of the two-match series here at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
With this win, Team India is back to the number 1 spot in ICC Test rankings. The victory over New Zealand also means India sealed the two-match series 1-0, and now Kohli's side will head to South Africa for three Tests and three ODIs, beginning December 26.
( With inputs from ANI )
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