IND vs NZ 2021: Can Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane justify his selection and repay the faith of the selectors?

After an abysmal campaign at the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup, team India returns home to play a three-match T20I series and two-match Test series. Their opponents will be T20 World Cup runner-up New Zealand and the series will begin Wednesday (November 17), with Jaipur hosting the first T20I.

Unrelenting bubble life and continuous cricket eventually took their toll as India appeared jaded, physically spent and mentally drained at the T20 World Cup. It translated into a dismal showing in the UAE.

Understandably, India have opted to rest some of their key players for this series. The likes of Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammad Shami will not suit up for the upcoming T20I series against the Kiwis.

While New Zealand’s tour of India might be squeezed into India’s busy schedule, the significance of the T20I series against the Kiwis is enormous for India. It marks a new beginning in Indian cricket as Rohit Sharma takes over the reins of the T20I captaincy from Kohli. The series will also see Rahul Dravid take on his first assignment as head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team.

While India’s T20I squad selection panned out as one would have expected, India’s Test squad certainly raised a few eyebrows. Hanuma Vihari’s exclusion in particular was not only surprising but also disappointing.

In his latest Test appearance for India, Vihari saved his team the blues by fighting against a painful hamstring injury as well as his opponents. Alongside Ravichandran Ashwin, he helped India script a brave and memorable draw against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January.

His unexpected exclusion from the Test squad, without any fault of his own, should be disheartening for the 28-year-old middle-order batsman.

The other decision that was not well-received by fans was the selection of India’s vice-captain, Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane has been struggling and short of runs for quite a while now but has held on to his place in the side.

Virat Kohli will not feature in the first Test against the Kiwis but will join and lead the side in the 2nd Test in Mumbai. In Kohli’s absence, Rahane will lead the side in the first Test in Kanpur.

---

Rahane's recent form a cause for concern

Ajinkya Rahane was in dismal form for India in the Test series against England home and away this year.

Rahane's abilities as a captain will not be particularly in question against New Zealand. The Mumbai batsman deserves plenty of credit for the way he led India to an outstanding 2-1 victory Down Under in 2020-21 in the absence of Kohli. But his batting form has been in turmoil for quite some time now.

There is no doubt that Rahane is an extremely gifted batter when it comes to Test cricket. India benefited in spades from his calmness at the crease and innate ability to absorb pressure in the initial few years of his Test career.

From his debut until the end of 2016, Rahane was exceptional and acted as India’s run-machine and crisis-man playing abroad. He suffered an initial low in the 2017-18 season which saw him being dropped for the first two Tests against South Africa as well.

But Rahane bounced back decently in the second half of 2019. He produced a string of noteworthy performances in the Caribbean and in the home series against the Proteas that season.

However, following his magnificent captain’s knock of 112 in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne in 2020, the right-handed Mumbai batsman seems to have faded away. Rahane looked to have hit absolute rock bottom against England this summer.

Not only did he fail miserably against the English at home in February-March this year, but also appeared clueless against them in August-September. He scored a meager 109 runs off his seven innings in England during the latter series.

Rahane’s inclusion in the Indian Test team despite his woeful form has led to a couple of speculations about the thought process of the selectors. The first is simple, straightforward and very likely to be the case. India's selectors and team management backing Rahane against the Kiwis could indicate that he starts as a first-choice player for the series against the Proteas.

This could be the case regardless of his performances against the Kiwis. The management expect Rahane to regain form and hope that he scores some decent runs against Kane Williamson’s side.

Even if he doesn't, Rahane is still likely to be heading with the squad to the rainbow nation. This is primarily because Rahane has been a proven performer for India in overseas Tests. Regardless, the 33-year-old finding form against the Blackcaps at home will augur well for India. Under Dravid's tutelage, they will hope to secure their first-ever Test series win in South Africa later this year.

Alternately, the selectors backing Rahane for Tests against New Zealand might be to give him a final chance to prove his worth and justify his potential. If he fails to deliver in two Test matches against New Zealand, there is a chance that we might not see the 33-year-old in the Indian Jersey again. This, however, is the unlikelier of the two speculations.

---

Rahane needs to score big against the Kiwis

Rahane raises his bat after scoring a fighting century for India at the MCG in 2020.

Rahul Dravid was Rahane’s captain and mentor during his IPL stint with Rajasthan Royals. With 48-year-old now at the helm of Indian team’s coaching, Rahane should receive plenty of support and guidance from his idol.

With Rahane definitely set to play in both games against New Zealand, he could also take some confidence from his previous record against the Kiwis. When New Zealand last toured India, Rahane was a prolific run-getter for team India, amassing 347 runs from three Tests in 2016. Figures like that this time around would massively help the 33-year-old make a case for himself once again.

No matter what happens, one thing is for sure, Rahane’s performances will be heavily scrutinized in India’s upcoming home series against New Zealand. He will have a maximum of four innings to prove his class once again and there is no better way for him to answer his critics than with his bat.