NEW DELHI: If there was one player who was praying for Sri Lanka to avoid a follow-on, it had to be Ajinkya Rahane. These are tough days for the right-handed batsman who, for the first time in his career, has played an entire series without making a notable contribution with the bat. Seventeen runs in the five innings he has batted in this series is definitely not what he would have wanted as the team embarks on a tour to South Africa.
Though runs have dried up for Rahane in this series, it would be an exaggeration to say he is struggling for form as in the four innings before Tuesday, the most he faced was the 21 deliveries on the first day in Kolkata, where conditions were extremely in favour of pacers.
In Nagpur, Rahane started against spinners, a variety he clearly doesn’t like facing first-up and lasted only 15 deliveries. In the first innings in Kotla, it took five deliveries before he fell to the spin of Lakshan Sandakan. And in both Tests, as mentioned by assistant coach Sanjay Bangar, Rahane got out twice playing loose shots.
On day four, when Rahane came out to bat at first drop, the logic behind it was clear — let him have some runs under his belt or at least spend some time in the middle. Maybe it was that even the team didn’t know what to make of his lean patch, for he had scored a century only three Tests ago in Colombo and even made four consecutive fifties in the ODIs against Australia.
With pacers Suranga Lankmal and Lahiru Gamage operating from both ends with the new ball, the conditions favoured Rahane. He likes it when the ball comes on to the bat, and looks more assured when playing shots against the pace. But his 37-ball stay over a 57-minute period saw him struggle. He defended two solidly off the front foot before the DRS came to his rescue and three balls later, Lakmal missed his edge by a whisker.
When spin was introduced, he stepped out and lofted Dilruwan Perera over mid-off, but the timing that makes Rahane a joy to watch still eluded him. He picked one more boundary off a cut in Perera’s next over before he survived a close LBW call which Sri Lanka referred.
Then again, he failed to pick Lakmal’s length and was beaten fair and square. Rahane likes the fight, but he has also shown in the past that he can throw it away at times by manufacturing shots to get out of trouble.
And that shot came in Perera’s next over as Rahane advanced down, failed to get to the pitch of the delivery, and swung towards long-on, where Sandakan accepted the catch to end his miserable stay. That India were looking for some quick runs also did not help his cause, but it was nonetheless an opportunity lost.
Rahane will definitely have his teammates’ backing. His numbers overseas speak for themselves, but he might lose some sleep over this bad patch. That the team-management likes to put form ahead of past reputation is a known fact.
As Kohli’s deputy in Tests, Rahane has the first-hand experience of that. The pressure is ought to get to Rahane and him taking a guard in Cape Town thinking ‘what if I fail again?’ is the last thing India would want.
When Rahane made his debut at Kotla in 2013, he played two shots that were uncharacteristic of him and went on to play 17 Tests abroad, before playing at home again. His position is not entirely different this time. As in 2013, South Africa awaits Rahane. Or rather, Rahane awaits South Africa.
Hitting rock bottom
With yet another failure in New Delhi compounding the woes of Ajinkya Rahane, Express takes a detailed look at how the right-hander has missed out on all five opportunities with the bat that he has received during the Sri Lanka Test series...
First Test (Kolkata)
First innings: 4 (21), c Dickwella b Shanaka
With a corker of a pitch aiding Sri Lanka’s pacers, patience was the need of the hour. After a fidgety 20-ball negotiation against Suranga Lakmal and Dasun Shanaka, Rahane’s attempt at a release shot off a Shanaka good-length, resulted in a thin edge, which was pouched by Dickwella.
Second innings: 0 (4), lbw Lakmal
Yet another instance that lifted the curtains off the shoddiness that seem to have crept into Rahane’s footwork in recent times. Unlike his teammates, there was no pitch-related magic imbued on the inducker that trapped him in front after being stuck in the crease. A failed DRS review later, Rahane went for a duck.
Second Test (Nagpur)
First innings: 2 (15),
c Karunaratne b Dilruwan
In a match where almost all India batsmen made merry with triple-digit scores, Rahane and KL Rahul didn’t. India were 410/4 and the right-hander’s 15-ball pottering was ended after he cut a Dilruwan half-tracker right into the hands of Karunaratne at backward point.
Third Test (New Delhi):
First innings: 1 (5), st Dickwella b Sandakan
That spin has been a bane for Rahane was yet again underlined in this five-ball innings. Coming on at 361/3, Rahane’s backfoot was dragged out of the crease by a googly from Lakshan Sandakan, and Niroshan Dickwella wasted no time in whipping the bails off.
Second innings: 10 (37), c Sandakan b Dilruwan
India’s plan to promote Rahane to one-down to instill confidence in him didn’t work either. After Suranga Lakmal and his own iffy shot-selection made life difficult for him, a mistimed biff off a Dilruwan Perera off-break nestled in the palms of Sandakan at long-on.
33.63
In 19 home Tests, Rahane has scored 1009 runs at an average of 33.63, compared to an average of 53.44 away from home.
4
He was the fourth highest run-scorer in SL away series.
venkatakrishna@newindianexpress.com