Rahane has a better record than Kohli, says Sunil Gavaskar
Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar believes that Ajinkya Rahane has done a better job than Indian Test captain Virat Kohli in performing consistently against all Test teams in different conditions. Gavaskar was speaking to NDTV and praised Rahane as India's most complete batsman.
Rahane made his Test debut at the Feroz Shah Kotla in 2013 in Australia's tour of India, and had a horrible start to his career when he finished his first Test with scores of 1 and 7. However, in the final Test of the India-South Africa Test series at the Kotla, he put all his demons to bed when he scored two brilliant centuries to put India into a commanding position.
“Ajinkya Rahane is currently the most complete Test batsman in the team. He is brilliant both in attacking and defending. He has done well everywhere, in all the conditions whereas Virat Kohli struggled in England,” Gavaskar said.
In addition to the two centuries he scored in the ongoing Test match, Rahane scored his remaining four centuries against different opponents – New Zealand, England, Australia and Sri Lanka. He also scored 96 and 98 in South Africa and Bangladesh respectively.
This exemplifies the quality of Rahane to adapt to any condition and perform well there. In Rahane, India seems to have found a new mould of Rahul Dravid. Someone who is ready to put the team above any personal gain. Rahane's willingness to bat anywhere in the batting lineup is clear proof of that.
Before the start of the Delhi Test, Rahane's batting average was 39.77. The two centuries have propelled his average to just under 45 now. Knowing when to slow down and when to up the pace while batting, according to the situation, is something that Rahane's centuries against the Proteas displayed.
Maybe, it is time for a new role in the Indian squad for the 27-year-old from Maharashtra. Rahane has shown that he can play well in all formats of the game. Although it could be argued that his consistency in the shorter versions of the game needs working, there is no doubting his class and quality.
Gavaskar felt that Kohli deserved a century at his home ground. Kohli missed out on his hundred by 12 runs after falling early on Day Four. In the Delhi Test, Kohli exhibited signs of coming back to his best when he played the South African bowlers with ease while most batsmen struggled to get going.
“I feel sorry for Virat that he could not score a century at his home ground which would have been memorable. He should have got a hundred yesterday. It is not easy for anybody to start again after a break and in his case it was an overnight break,” Gavaskar said.
The 66-year-old former opening batsman said that if India needed to win the series 3-0, breaking the partnership between Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers was crucial, as they are South Africa's most experienced campaigners.
“India need to have more fielders in the catching positions. They need to break Hashim Amla-AB de Villiers partnership and the rest of the South African players will cave in easily,” he said.