5 Indian batsmen who could lose their spots if they fail in the Australia Tests
India's tour of Australia has already kicked off with the T20I series drawn at 1-1. Now the focus shifts to the 4-match Test series which will start from December 6 at Adelaide Oval.
The Test squad of India is different from their limited-overs squads. Quite a few experienced players will be making their way back into the team. The focus will be on India's batsmen as they try and adapt to the Australian pitches.
For some of the Indian players, the upcoming edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is a make or break series. Here are five Indian batsmen who could potentially lose their Test spots if they fail in Australia.
#5 Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane is a classic batsman with a superb technique and great attributes of a Test cricketer. His balance at the crease and compact technique enabled him to score runs all over the world.
Rahane was India's most accomplished batsman overseas throughout the away season in 2013/14. In fact, he is one of the few Indian batsmen who has played more matches overseas and averages better than the home.
Rahane's batting average outside India is 46.33, which is way better than his average of 34.55 in India. He has 6 centuries overseas while only 3 at home. This proves that he has got all the techniques and abilities to conquer the world.
But of late runs are coming for Rahane, neither at the overseas nor at home. He has been struggling for runs for two years now. In 2017 he averaged just 34.63 with just 1 century to his name. 2018 has been even worse, in 9 matches he has scored 445 runs at an average of 29.67 without a single hundred.
Rahane's recent England tour wasn't great in which he averaged just 25.70. Against a weaker test side like West Indies at home, he couldn't get a century. In fact, he has now played 13 matches without a century. So a failure on this tour may see him being dropped from the Test team.