Ajinkya Rahane has fallen behind in race for ODI
openers' slot
Ajinkya Rahane may have scored a hundred in the
just concluded one-day series against Sri Lanka,
but his place in the eleven will definitely be under
threat the next time India play a one-day match.
He may be a permanent fixture in the Test team.
However, the same cannot be said about his spot
in one-dayers. With Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit
Sharma and Rahane battling for the opening slot,
we now have a three-way tussle for the opening
positions, which is good news for Indian cricket.
Of the three, Rahane has fallen behind in the race
at the moment. He may have hit a hundred, but
his performance in the other matches was below
par. As he has often done in his one-day career,
Rahane often got starts but couldn't carry on.
Rahane right now averages in the early 30s to late
20s, which does not do a lot of justice to his
talent. Rahane has been unlucky to not have had
a consistent one day career, but it is also true that
he hasn't utilised his opportunities.
When the Sri Lankan series began, there was still
plenty of uncertainty over who India's openers for
one dayers would be. Shikhar Dhawan hadn't yet
hit prime form, but the Sri Lanka series has
changed it all. Dhawan smashed one hundred and
two fifties in the two games, and has pretty much
sealed his place in the team for Australia. It was
surprising how Dhawan was rested for the last
two games of the series. After all, it was after a
very long time than Dhawan had actually returned
to form. He could have done with a couple of more
good knocks.
Rohit Sharma has also outdone Rahane though he
only featured in two games in the series. Rohit
was returning from a two-month injury lay off, and
would have been expected to take time to get
back into the groove. However, Rohit smashed a
record-breaking double hundred during his very
first comeback match. No one expected Rohit to
play such a sensational knock, but the manner in
which he broke most records was unbelievable.
The innings also put Rohit ahead of Rahane when
it came to claiming the opening slot. With Dhawan
also having established himself earlier, Rahane is
now on the back foot.
openers' slot
Ajinkya Rahane may have scored a hundred in the
just concluded one-day series against Sri Lanka,
but his place in the eleven will definitely be under
threat the next time India play a one-day match.
He may be a permanent fixture in the Test team.
However, the same cannot be said about his spot
in one-dayers. With Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit
Sharma and Rahane battling for the opening slot,
we now have a three-way tussle for the opening
positions, which is good news for Indian cricket.
Of the three, Rahane has fallen behind in the race
at the moment. He may have hit a hundred, but
his performance in the other matches was below
par. As he has often done in his one-day career,
Rahane often got starts but couldn't carry on.
Rahane right now averages in the early 30s to late
20s, which does not do a lot of justice to his
talent. Rahane has been unlucky to not have had
a consistent one day career, but it is also true that
he hasn't utilised his opportunities.
When the Sri Lankan series began, there was still
plenty of uncertainty over who India's openers for
one dayers would be. Shikhar Dhawan hadn't yet
hit prime form, but the Sri Lanka series has
changed it all. Dhawan smashed one hundred and
two fifties in the two games, and has pretty much
sealed his place in the team for Australia. It was
surprising how Dhawan was rested for the last
two games of the series. After all, it was after a
very long time than Dhawan had actually returned
to form. He could have done with a couple of more
good knocks.
Rohit Sharma has also outdone Rahane though he
only featured in two games in the series. Rohit
was returning from a two-month injury lay off, and
would have been expected to take time to get
back into the groove. However, Rohit smashed a
record-breaking double hundred during his very
first comeback match. No one expected Rohit to
play such a sensational knock, but the manner in
which he broke most records was unbelievable.
The innings also put Rohit ahead of Rahane when
it came to claiming the opening slot. With Dhawan
also having established himself earlier, Rahane is
now on the back foot.
