Ajinkya Rahane and India's conundrum of the number four position
India vs West Indies, 5th ODI. 06 July 2017: In the fourth over of India’s innings, Jason Holder bowled a short delivery too wide of off stump. It was an ideal ‘hit-me’ ball and Ajinkya Rahane, sensing the opportunity, smashed it into the cover area with a horizontal bat.
The shot was played in the air and Devendra Bishoo, positioned at the cover point, moved towards his left to grab the ball with both hands. He took the catch but as his body weight shifted, he lost balance as well as the control over the ball. The white cherry landed on the ground, Holder gasped loudly ruing the missed chance while Bishoo kept staring at the ground hoping it would open up under him.
Extra cover: Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid, and the curse of being textbook-perfect
A straightforward chance was put down. Next over, the field remained the same and Holder once again bowled in the same channel. Rahane still went for the shot but this time played it along the ground and away from the fielder at cover point. The ball went for a four.
These two deliveries are reflective of Rahane’s changed approach towards batting in the recently concluded series. After seeing a catch being put down in the cover point region, the Rahane of the past wouldn’t have dared to target the same region once again. He would have probably left the ball alone. But in the last game, he took the risk and executed his stroke with precision.
The right-hand batsman has ended the tour with one hundred and three fifties in five innings. A tally of 336 runs at an average of 67.20 will do a world of good to his confidence and will certainly help in silencing the voices to an extent that doubted his batting skills to tackle challenges of one day cricket.
This five-match series against West Indies was by no means a tough test for Team India and performances in these game will carry little weightage. But for Rahane, this series could work as a cornerstone for his one day career.
The Mumbai batsman, since his ODI debut in 2011, has been continuously in and out of the national team. His potential and strong technique have kept him in the contention but his limited stroke play and string of low scores have ensured he has warmed the benches for a long duration.
In fact, it is his tremendous record in Test cricket that has kept his one-day career alive but now the emergence of young players like KL Rahul, Manish Pandey and the redemption of veterans Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Karthik has created a serious threat to his ODI career.
With four fifty-plus scores in the West Indies series, the Mumbai batsman has secured his place in the team for the moment but he is still under the scanner as his role in the team in undefined. The trio of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli seal the top three spots, leaving no place for Rahane in the top order, his preferred batting position.
MS Dhoni’s wicket-keeping and legendary stature mean he is a permanent member in the middle order. Hardik Pandya’s medium pace bowling plus his ability to explode in the finishing overs make him a perfect fit for the number seven position while Kedar Jadhav, courtesy of his sharp cricket sense and innovative batting and bowling, has also become an essential cog.
This means the only spot left in the batting order is the number four position. Over the years, this position has remained a cause of concern for the team management as India haven’t found a perfect fit and it has been an exercise of filling round pegs in square holes.
Suresh Raina’s dry run enabled selectors to look out for other players. Ambati Rayudu looked promising but his flaws were exposed with time, while Dinesh Karthik has failed to make his chances count. Manish Pandey started well but injuries and below-par scores have dented his opportunities. However, the selectors have offered the Karnataka batsman the captaincy of India A team which suggests he is not far away from a national call-up.
The lack of other options forced selectors to call back Yuvraj Singh, India’s best middle-order batsmen during the decade of 2000-2010. Yuvi has displayed glimpses of his past form but at times he looks rusty and has plenty of areas to work on.
In this situation, Rahane emerges an effective candidate for the number four spot but even he has certain flaws. His inability to push the run-rate and dominate the bowlers is a pressing issue. Although he has improved significantly in the past one year, his struggle in this area is still evident.
In the third ODI against West Indies, after 35 overs India was firmly placed at 131 for 3 and Rahane was well-set, playing on 59 from 92 balls. But in the next 20 balls, he scored only 13 runs. As a set batsman, attacking the bowlers in the last 15 overs wouldn’t have been a bad idea as India had plenty of batting to come. But, the right-hand batsman was caught in a shell and failed to change gears.
The 2019 World Cup will be played in England and most probably the pitches would be flat. In such conditions, the ideal number four batsmen will be milking the bowlers in the middle bowlers and at the same time will be setting up a platform for the finishers to provide a flourishing end to the innings.
Rahane’s ability to build the innings is commendable but the key question is, does he have the skills to dominate the bowlers in the middle overs by scoring at a run-a-ball rate? The West Indies tour hasn’t offered any conclusive answer but Rahane has improved his game.
Currently, Yuvraj is holding on to this crucial batting spot and players like Manish Pandey, KL Rahul are in contention if Yuvi fails. Rahane’s longevity in the team is in his own hands, without too many options to choose from, and the West Indies tour has rejuvenated his ODI career, at least for the time being.