5 reasons why Ajinkya Rahane should play the ODI series against Sri Lanka

The Indian team management has been reluctant to slot Ajinkya Rahane in the middle-order in ODIs even when the team has been facing a challenge with the number 4 slot. Skipper Virat Kohli has stated clearly in press meets that the management considers Rahane only for the opener's role.

But Rahane has a lot of patience and the right technique that can provide a strong foundation to the innings. He also has the right temperament to give momentum to the innings in the aggressor role, evident from his impressive Indian Premier League (IPL) career.

Here are 5 reasons why India should try him in the middle-order in the home ODI series against Sri Lanka.

#5 Better experience at the international level

With 84 ODIs under his belt, Rahane is the second most-experienced batsman in the team vying for a middle-order spot (except MS Dhoni and the regular openers). Shreyas Iyer is still uncapped in ODIs; neither Manish Pandey nor Kedar Jadhav has played half as many matches as Rahane.

Rahane has done well in the 5 home ODIs he played against Sri Lanka. In 2014, he scored a 200-run partnership with Shikhar Dhawan at Cuttack, which helped India post a 169-run win over Sri Lanka, and was awarded the man of the match for his efforts. Rahane is an impact player who has scored 23 fifties and three hundreds at the international level. He can save the side from a collapse or change gears to pile up runs when the situation demands.

As a senior pro, he also has the experience of leading the team in 3 ODIs against Zimbabwe and marshalled his troops well to win all the matches.

#4 Match winning performances at the series venues

Rahane has been a match-winner at the series venues

Rahane is one of the few batsmen who have played international cricket at all the venues for the Sri Lanka series.

At Dharamsala (venue for the first ODI against Sri Lanka) in 2014, Rahane had formed two 70-run partnerships with Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli against the West Indies, which helped India win the series 2-1. He also provided a strong start to the successful chase at the same venue against New Zealand last year, a match that India won with more than 16 overs to spare.

He led the successful Indian chase against England in Mohali (venue for the second ODI) in 2011 and became man-of-the-match by scoring a solid 91 at the top of the order, which helped India seal the series. He also formed two important partnerships in the match, 79 for the opening wicket with Parthiv Patel and 111 for the second wicket with Gautam Gambhir.

At Visakhapatnam (the venue for the third ODI) however, Rahane hasn't had the best of performances yet. In the one ODI he played at the venue against New Zealand last year, he was dismissed for a score of 20.

#3 The new vacancy at number 3

Absence of Kohli can make the India middle-order vulnerable

Since the regular skipper Virat Kohli is rested for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, there will be a huge void in the Indian middle-order to fill.

In Kohli's absence, India lacks a trusted batsman at the one-down position. This increases Rahane's chances of a probable place in the playing XI. Even if a wicket is lost in the initial overs, Rahane's skills as an opening batsman will help India see off the early setback.

The solidity and reliability that Rahane can assure the dressing room would not be small. From five matches at number 3, Rahane has an average of 35 at a strike rate of 73. Although not a chase master like Kohli, Rahane has won all of his 5 man-of-the-match awards for his performance in chases.

#2 The infamous number 4 conundrum

Rahane at number 4 can bring stability to the middle-order

Although India has been doing well in ODI cricket, it has been plagued by the now infamous number 4 batsman problem. Kohli's absence at the number 3 spot will further aggravate the worries.

In his 20 ODI innings for India at number 4, Rahane has scored 703 runs at an average of 37 and a strike rate of 85.

Dinesh Karthik averages nearly 40 from 12 innings but has very low a strike rate of 68. Manish Pandey has an average of 36 and a strike rate of 92 from 7 innings. Kedar Jadhav in his short stint at number 4 has scored only 18 runs from three innings.

India will have to select at least three from Rahane, Iyer, Karthik, and Pandey, and the numbers are in favour of Rahane to make the playing XI.

#1 ODI batting form in 2017

Rahane has had the best year of his ODI career in 2017

Rahane's form in 2017 has been nothing short of spectacular. In 12 matches, he scored 586 runs at an average of 48, which is 13 over his career average. His strike rate this year (77) has remained nearly the same as his career strike rate (78). He also scored seven fifties and a hundred this year from those 12 outings.

Rahane played these 12 innings against England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Australia. He shared four 100-run partnerships in the series against Australia, three of them with Rohit Sharma and one with Kohli.

In the away ODI series against the West Indies this year, Rahane scored three fifties and a hundred from five innings and aggregated 92 more runs than Kohli. He also formed two hundred-run stands with Dhawan in the series. He was also awarded the man-of-the-series award for his overall performance.

Incidentally, in both the series against the West Indies and Australia, Rahane amassed more runs than Kohli, who is arguably the best Indian ODI batsman at the moment.