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Not long ago, Ajinkya Rahane was the toast of the nation after he led India to a famous Test series win Down Under, against all odds.
India was trampled for 36 in the second innings in Adelaide during that series, and, with Virat Kohli heading back home on paternity leave, critics did not give India any chance of making a comeback.
Ajinkya Rahane, however, led from the front in the literal sense, compiling a methodical century in the Boxing Day Test.
The hundred inspired India to a memorable win in the Test and, even with most of the key players injured, the Ajinkya Rahane-led outfit went on to claim the series 2-1.
Things have not been rosy for Ajinkya Rahane since. In seven Tests since the start of 2021, he has only scored 263 runs at a shocking average of 21.91. He had a highest of 37 in the last two Tests of the series played in Australia.
He then averaged only 18.66 in the four-match Test series against England at home before the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Who can come in for Ajinkya Rahane in the Test lineup?
While Ajinkya Rahane’s spot in the Test team might not be in immediate danger, selectors will have to take a serious look at his value to the side if he fails in the Tests in England as well.
Here are three batsmen who could replace Ajinkya Rahane in the middle order in the near future.
#1 Hanuma Vihari
Hanuma Vihari was unlucky not to have been chosen in the playing XI for the WTC final.
He was India’s unlikely hero in the Sydney Test against Australia, where he batted bravely with a hamstring injury, facing 161 balls for his 23 not out as India pulled off a famous draw. Before that, Vihari had only managed scores of 16, 8, 21 and 4 in the Australia series.
Vihari’s consistency has been a worry in his short time in international cricket. He only averages 32.84 in 12 Tests. But it is also a fact that the 27-year-old hasn’t been given a long enough run to prove himself.
In the limited opportunities, he has come up with some impressive performances. He scored a half-century on debut at The Oval in 2018 and also hit one in Christchurch last year when both Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane failed.
The dogged batsman was also the Man of the Series in the Tests in West Indies in 2019, scoring two fifties and a hundred.
Vihari could find a place in the middle order in case Ajinkya Rahane’s woes refuse to end. The former can also offer a part-time spin-bowling option.
#2 Rohit Sharma
This might sound a bit bizarre, but Rohit Sharma does not seem like a Test opening option away from home, despite his best efforts. He keeps getting starts but also finds ways to get himself out. Rohit’s four scores in Australia in the two Tests he featured in read 26, 52, 44 and 7.
He was back to his best in the home series against England. In the WTC final against New Zealand, though, it was back to ‘start and out’ mode. He batted well for his 30s but failed to get a big score.
In the current scenario, Rohit looks like more of a Test specialist in home conditions. We have seen enough of him to figure out that he is not the answer to India’s long-term opening woes away from home.
However, he could be useful in the middle order when the ball goes soft if he replaces his Mumbai teammate Ajinkya Rahane. Rohit can provide quick runs lower down the order.
Pushing Rohit to the middle order will mean a place opening up for Mayank Agarwal at the top. Although Agarwal has struggled in recent times, he deserves another opportunity to prove himself.
The management should back Agarwal’s skills at the top of the order and groom Shubman Gill for the future as the other opener. Rohit is better equipped to handle the middle-order duties than batting at the top.
#3 KL Rahul
Ajinkya Rahane’s poor form could open the door for KL Rahul’s Test comeback. If India wants Rohit Sharma to continue opening the batting, Rahul can take the Indian Test vice-captain’s spot in the middle order.
Else, he can move to the top of the order, and Rohit can shift to the middle, as mentioned in the earlier point.
It won’t be easy for Rahul to replace Ajinkya Rahane. The former may have established himself in the limited-overs formats, but he is yet to fully prove himself in the longer version.
Rahul, in fact, last played a Test match in September 2019, when he scored 13 and 6 against West Indies in the Kingston Test. In his last seven Tests, Rahul has only scored 195 runs at an average of 17.72 with a highest of 44.
He did have a good start to his Test career, though, and his overall record in the format is not all that bad - 2006 runs in 36 Tests at an average of 34.58 with five hundreds and 11 fifties.
In fact, in August 2017, KL Rahul became the first Indian batsman to score seven consecutive half-centuries in Tests.
A brilliant run in the limited-overs matches has forced the selectors to pick him in the Test squad again. He has amazing talent and can play a range of attractive strokes when in full flow.
If given an opportunity over Ajinkya Rahane, though, he will need to prove a lot of critics wrong, who have questioned his Test match technique and temperament.
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