There was a time when Ainkya Rahane’s place in the Indian team was fixed but a lot changed after the 2015 World Cup and suddenly, his place in the ODI squad was questioned.
He as dropped from playing XI under MS Dhoni’s captaincy after World Cup and soon, became an irregular member of the team.
Prior to the World Cup 2019, he was considered to be one of the best batsmen to bat at number 4 but it is more than a year since he last played an ODI.
Still, Rahane can make a comeback in the ODI squad if he performs well in IPL but for now, he is not putting pressure on himself by thinking about it.
“I have never had complaints about my batting order and have performed anywhere I have batted. I don’t want to put any pressure on myself by thinking about the No 4 spot in the Indian team. I understand that batting order depends on lot of things. For India, I am ready to bat at any position,” Rahane said during a Rajasthan Royals’ presser.
It was against South Africa that Rahane played his last ODI.
He was backed by Indian skipper Virat Kohli to be team India’s number 4 but was dropped after that series.
Just before that tour, he was a part of ODI team but wasn’t given a chance in any of the matches against Sri Lanka at home.
Prior to that, he only opened the innings for India whenever either Shikhar Dhawan or Rohit Sharma wasn’t there in the team.
The confusion to use him as a third opener or as a middle-order batsman saw him being dropped from the side.
Later, Ambati Rayudu made his comeback and fixed his place at number 4 but his form hasn’t been good and he was dropped from playing XI during Australia series.
This is a clear indication that India are still searching for their number 4 batsman.
Rayudu has high chances of keeping that spot but will face competition from Rahane, and Dinesh Karthik as well.
KL Rahul was a part of the ODI series against Australia but he was given a chance in just one match.
It clearly states that his place is also not fixed in the ODI squad.
IPL performances are all set to have their say on the team combination for World Cup 2019.