Rahane should have toured West Indies: Amre

Though former Mumbai coach Pravin Amre was delighted over the inclusion of his ward Ajinkya Rahane in the Indian squad for the ODI series against England starting September 3, he felt that the Mumbai batsman should have been sent to West Indies for proper grooming.

Rahane got the nod after Virender Sehwag was ruled out of the one-off T20 and five-match ODI series to follow owing to an ear infection. "England is going to be a very tough tour. Ideally, he should have been sent on the West Indies tour to get proper grooming. It might have helped him calm his nerves," Amre told MiD DAY on Monday.

"Nevertheless, this is a good opportunity for him to prove at the highest level. He has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. This (selection) is a reward for the consistency he has shown over the years. I am confident he would do well," Amre, under whom Rahane made his Mumbai debut in 2007, added.

Rahane had been in the reckoning for an India cap for a quite some time, thanks to consistent show with the bat (4673 in 48 first-class matches). However, the centuries against Australia and South Africa 'A' in the recent Emerging Players' meet may have tilted the scale in his favour.

Meanwhile, Ishant Sharma was also ruled out of the remainder of the England tour after suffering a ligament injury on his left ankle during the third Test at Edgbaston. Jharkhand speedster Varun Aaron will replace him in the squad.