3 reasons why Ajinkya Rahane's comeback to the Indian Test team is almost impossible

There was a time when former vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane was an indispensable part of the Indian Test team. Having made his debut in March 2013, he went on to establish himself as a standout performer, particularly in extremely tough overseas conditions. However, his Test career can be divided into two halves. While the former was hugely fruitful, the latter was thoroughly disappointing.

Rahane has so far featured in 82 Tests, scoring 4931 runs at a middling average of 38.52, with 12 hundreds and 25 fifties. In his first 40 Tests, he scored 2809 runs at an average of 47.61, scoring nine tons.

It has been a completely contrasting tale in his last 42 Tests, during which he has scored 2122 runs at a poor average of 30.75, with only three centuries to his name. The stats pretty much tell the story of Rahane’s Test career.

While the defiant cricketer hasn’t given up and continues to ply his trade in domestic cricket, we look at three reasons why his comeback to the Indian Test team is almost impossible.

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#1 India seem to have found a suitable replacement in Shreyas Iyer

Team India batter Shreyas Iyer. Pic: Getty Images

These are still early days in Shreyas Iyer’s Test career, but he has done enough to demonstrate that he can be a suitable replacement for Rahane in the middle order in red-ball cricket. The 28-year-old has so far featured in seven Test matches and has scored 624 runs at an average of 56.72, with one hundred and five fifties.

The Mumbai batter made a sensational debut against New Zealand in Kanpur in November 2021, registering scores of 105 and 65. He thus scripted history, becoming the first Indian batter to notch up a hundred and a fifty on his Test debut.

Shreyas was the Player of the Match for scoring 92 and 67 in the Bengaluru Test against Sri Lanka in March 2022. The right-handed batter’s much-debated problems against the short ball came to the fore when he perished cheaply to the bouncer in both innings of the rescheduled Test against England in Birmingham. Shreyas put on quite an embarrassing display.

The right-handed redeemed himself to some extent by registering scores of 86, 87, and 29* during the tour of Bangladesh. Shreyas is still a work in progress when it comes to Test cricket. However, Rahane was given a pretty long rope to save his career, and it’s only fair that his Mumbai teammate also gets a decent run.

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#2 The age factor

The former India vice-captain will turn 35 later this year. Pic: Getty Images

Rahane will turn 35 in June this year, so age is definitely not on his side. Even if he does make a comeback, he could at best play for a couple of years. Thus, there is little logic in going back to him at this point. Instead, India should look to build towards the future.

Shreyas turned 28 in December last year and if he manages to establish himself in the Test team, he could go on to become one of the lynchpins of the batting order for the next few years. Apart from Shreyas, there is also Hanuma Vihari, who has been in and out of the Test squad. The 29-year-old also remains a genuine middle-order contender.

In the current Test squad, skipper Rohit Sharma is 35, while Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara are 34. The Indian think tank and selectors must start looking towards the next generation to try and ensure the red-ball fortunes of the team don’t sink once the big stars walk away. Under the circumstances, there seems no way back for Rahane.

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#3 Rahane needs to do something outrageously spectacular in domestic cricket

Even Sarfaraz Khan, despite a Bradmanesque record in domestic cricket, has failed to find a place in the Indian team. Pic: BCCI

If Sarfaraz Khan, with a first-class average of 80 after 36 matches, cannot break into the Test team, one can only imagine Rahane’s chances. Even if we keep aside the age factor, the latter needs to come up with spectacular performances in domestic cricket to catch the selectors’ eye.

There have been a couple of wonderful knocks for sure, but the veteran batter hasn’t done enough to get back onto the Test selection radar. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, he has scored 534 runs for Mumbai at an average of 66.75, with two hundreds. Impressive numbers, but not exceptional by any standards. He scored 204 against Hyderabad and 191 against Assam but failed against Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu.

In the preceding Vijay Hazare Trophy as well, he got a few starts but failed to convert most of them into big scores. For Rahane to even have the slightest chance of making a Test comeback, he will have to outshine someone like Sarfaraz. That is pretty much Mission Impossible.

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