Was Rahane's knock against Bangladesh inspired by Virat's captaincy?

Rahane scored a fluent 98 in the one-off Test

The one-off Test against Bangladesh will only be remembered for rain and a couple of centuries from the Indian side. But it also saw Ajinkya Rahane missing out on a well-deserved ton after he was dismissed for 98 off just 103 deliveries. The way he was dismissed was a sign of how he has changed over the years; on a short delivery from Shakib-Al Hasan, he had all the time to nudge and get to the three figure mark. But he went a little harsh and perished. This new Rahane is the product of changing Indian cricket.

The Indian Test setup has changed since its former captain MS Dhoni decided to put away his white shirt. His successor, Virat Kohli, has ushered in a new style of captaincy.

If we narrow down Virat’s style, it also promises a new combination which leaves out anyone who is defensive in approach. In a recent interview, Virat confirmed, “Draw is the last resort. I believe in going for that victory even if it means that you have to literally struggle in the end to get a draw. But give yourself a chance at least.”

Ajinkya Rahane of the current lot must have felt the need to change his approach. Notwithstanding his ability to clear the ropes, Rahane is different from Rohit Sharma or Kohli. He has always belonged to that old school of cricket where you spend some time in the middle and then gradually build your innings, mostly in Tests. With a 100 in sight, he would prefer to do what he has always done. But that would mean stretching sessions, negating swings, tiring bowlers and at times being ultra-defensive.

The change in approach

In MSD’s era, that was a normal sight. But, will we see it in the Kohli era? Or was it simply because the man wanted to get runs as quick as possible to make up for the overs that were lost due to rain.

Playing five bowlers against Bangladesh at the cost of a middle order mainstay – Cheteshwar Pujara -would never have been MS Dhoni’s brainchild. Understandably, Pujara was feeling a little out of place ever since the England tour, but chances of that uncomforting sight surfacing against the Bangladeshi pace attack was unlikely. But in spite of that, he was not considered in the final 11.

Has it got anything to do with Kohli’s idea of going for the win at any cost? Does Kohli want to make Tests colourful in his own way? The answer is probably yes. Rahane, for the kind of cricketing talent he possesses, has realised it on time and is doing his best to indicate that he won’t be the slower horse in the chariot. His scoring rate against Bangladesh was baffling. On the field, he anyway floats like a butterfly. He has cleaved his way into this team with sheer hard-work and he does not look in a mood to lose it at a time when the reins have been passed to a different man who promises a paradigm shift in the Test aisle of this country.

The 6-5 combination is here to stay

Kohli made it clear in the post-match presentation that he would want to continue with the 6-5 combination this season and even indicated that for this combination to click, he wants R Ashwin, who averages around 40 in Tests, and Harbhajan Singh to take responsibilities down the order.

This might have further left a little window for making into the final. This fight to stay relevant would be tooth and nail. Rohit Sharma is too suave and impressive to be not given more chances than others. Even Kohli has fallen for the ‘talent trap’ like Dhoni and is all praise for him. The fact that the IPL winning captain was preferred over ‘Test specialist’ Pujara speaks volumes about the confidence the new captain has in him.

So, the opening combination looks sorted now as well. Virat has faith that Shikhar Dhawan would fill the shoes of Virender Sehwag. And there is Murali Vijay to negate the tough periods of play. The assessment leaves one place and too many contenders. For that place, Rahane will have to fight with Pujara, KL Rahul and on days even Suresh Raina.

‘Jinks’ has taken the lead by shedding off his old skin and would love to remain in the eye by playing the kind of innings he did against Bangladesh even if this risk-taking habit can make him look off-colour at times. It will be interesting to see how longer this can keep happening.