3 Indian domestic batters who can be the next Ajinkya Rahane in Test cricket

Ajinkya Rahane enjoyed a memorable return to the Indian Test squad with a well-compiled 89 off 129 deliveries against Australia in the ongoing World Test Championship final at The Oval in London.

With his team in a lot of strife and in desperate need of a partnership, Rahane forged a 109-run stand for the seventh wicket with fellow Mumbaikar Shardul Thakur to put India back on track and harbor hopes of rubbing off the deficit. The Indians eventually handed a big lead to the Aussies but if not for that partnership, even the glimmer of hope that remains at this point would have faded away.

A string of inconsistent performances saw Rahane discarded from the Test setup following the tour of South Africa in January 2022. While it remains to be seen how many more Tests he will eventually play, the 35-year-old batter has undoubtedly been a pivotal force in the side over the years.

Clearly, with the team facing an impending transition, finding a suitable successor for Rahane once he's done playing won't be easy.

Here, we take a look at three names on the Indian domestic circuit who can assume that role in the future:

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#1 Rinku Singh

Rinku Singh's stunning heroics for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2023 have turned him into a cult hero. However, his consistency transcends his returns in the shortest format of the game alone, as a stellar first-class record suggests.

In 40 first-class appearances, he averages just a shade under 60, having scored 19 fifties and seven hundreds through the course of the same. It is worth noting that a good quotient of these runs has come while arresting a collapse, often being the go-to crisis mitigator for the Uttar Pradesh team.

Rahane has done the same quite regularly for India, particularly in seam-friendly conditions away from home. Rinku has given a good account of his assurance against pace in the IPL and given his ability to play spin well too, he ought to be groomed as a potential option as India's No. 5 in Tests for the future.

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#2 Sarfaraz Khan

It is hard to fathom how Sarfaraz Khan hasn't got his Test cap yet. After all, the lynchpin of Mumbai's middle order boasts a mindboggling record in first-class cricket, averaging a smidgen under 80 after 37 outings.

What also stands out is his penchant for scoring big runs, with 13 of his 22 fifty-plus scores converted into centuries.

Sarfaraz's spin game is his biggest asset and on difficult surfaces in the sub-continent, he ought to be a handful. While being technically adept, he also scores runs at a brisk pace as a first-class strike rate of 70.21 would suggest, and is not averse to a counter-attack.

Much like Rahane, he comes from the famed Bombay school of batting with the mentality to bat, bat, and bat. It's a role he is accustomed to donning for Mumbai and if he continues piling up the runs like he has, it won't be too long before he assumes the same for Team India in Tests.

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#3 Rajat Patidar

Rajat Patidar's rise in the last couple of seasons has been a meteoric one. From piling up runs for Madhya Pradesh and forming an instrumental component of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to earning an India call-up, the right-handed batter has cast himself as an exciting batting option.

Two elements stand out with Patidar's batting. While one of them is his ability to attack spin, the other is a strong backfoot game against pace which allows him to get on top of the bounce. He has been sidelined with a heel injury but ought to be in the reckoning for the India A team as he has been in recent times.

He might have just turned 30 but Patidar is certainly hitting his peak and comes with a healthy first-class record, averaging 45.72 after 52 appearances.

Much like Rahane, he should fit into the middle order quite seamlessly owing to the attributes he brings as a batter and could be a very useful option to fall back on as transition beckons for India in Tests.

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Which batter in the Indian domestic circuit do you think can be the next Ajinkya Rahane in Tests? Have your say in the comments section below!

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