After a disappointing performance on the South Africa tour in early 2022, Ajinkya Rahane was cut from the Indian squad, casting doubt on his future in Test cricket.
For a while, Rahane had to work hard in domestic cricket and had a few standout performances.
His performances, however, were insufficient to get him called up to the Indian team for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year.
The 35-year-old then astounded everyone with his performances in the IPL 2023, scoring 326 runs from 11 innings at an incredible strike rate of 172 point49.
He was then selected for the team to play Australia at the Oval in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Rahane ended up being India’s leading run scorer, scoring 135 runs in the two innings, while the other Indian batsmen struggled against the Australian bowlers.
India will now play a two-match Test series against the West Indies in the Caribbean to kick off the 2023–25 WTC cycle.
Rahane will serve as Rohit Sharma’s series backup. In light of this, let’s examine three reasons why the Indian vice-captain must bat third in the series against the Windies.
1. At number three, India need a skilled batsman
As India’s third batsman for almost ten years, Cheteshwar Pujara has played in 103 Test matches. But due to a lackluster performance in the WTC final, he was dropped from the team for the Caribbean tour.
Ajinkya Rahane perfectly fills the role of Team India’s equivalent replacement at number three. Rahane has participated in 83 Test matches for India, amassing over 5,000 runs and twelve centuries.
He will try to seize the chance to bat at number three with both hands and make his prior batting experience count at a crucial position.
Pitches in the Caribbean for the Test series could initially help the pacers and trouble young batsmen who haven’t played much in the format.
2. India need a batsman in the top order
Ajinkya Rahane excels in the top of the order. Rahane has opened the batting 54 times in his 87 ODI innings. Regarding T20Is, he has opened the batting in 17 of the 20 games he has participated in.
He has experienced success in the IPL as a top order batsman as well. Rahane batted at number four and had success in the recently finished Ranji Trophy. When it comes to selecting a player to bat at number four in Test cricket for the Indian team, Virat Kohli is a no-brainer.
The third position is up for grabs, and Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are likely to open the batting. Given that he has historically batted in the top order across all formats, Rahane would ideally bat at number three in Test cricket.
He only batted at number three five times during Test cricket, but when he did, he scored a century against Sri Lanka. If Rahane is given the opportunity to bat at position three, he will try to leverage his background and claim the third spot in Test cricket for the upcoming WTC cycle.
3. The West Indies team has a strong record and current form
One of the few Indian batsmen who has been in good form recently with the bat is Ajinkya Rahane. In addition to having a strong IPL season, he led India in scoring in the WTC final.
He would want the West Indies to keep up the tradition. Rahane has a strong Test record in the West Indies. He has scored 514 runs in eight innings, averaging almost 103, including two centuries and three half-centuries.
Rahane will attempt to claim the third batting spot in the Indian Test team by virtue of his performance and track record in the West Indies.
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