In an otherwise solid series for almost all the big batting names, Ajinkya Rahane had cut a sorry figure, and Saturday (December 2) was not an exception either. The right-handed batsman, who is one of the batting mainstays of the Test team, had entered the series after an indifferent showing in the Ranji Trophy, getting dismissed for a duck twice in four innings. And any hopes of regaining his form has not materialized so far.
He began the series with scores of 0 and four at a lively Eden Gardens pitch but was expected to regain his form on a flat Nagpur pitch where four Indian batsmen had crossed the three-digit mark. However, he was dismissed for just 2. The 29-year old walked into bat in the ongoing third Test in a similar situation as Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli’s effortless centuries had shown that the pitch was full of runs. However, Rahane faltered once again and was dismissed for just 1.
Not surprisingly, when batting coach Sanjay Bangar arrived to attend the press conference after the day’s play, he was bombarded with questions regarding Rahane’s form after a Lakshan Sandakan googly undid the batsman. In reply, the former India allrounder said that Rahane’s poor shot selection was the cause of his downfall but also backed him to overcome the brief ongoing period of lull.
“He (Rahane) would be disappointed in the manner he got out. He is somebody who works hard on his game, like all players do. May be last match (trying to square cut off-spinner Dilruwan Perera) and this match (stumped off Sandakan), he erred in shot selection,”Bangar said at the end of the first day’s play.
“I think that would be hurting him definitely but he is a quality player. And going forward, even his overseas record has been phenomenal. Yeah, he would be disappointed. He is a quality player and has the ability to bounce back quickly,” he added.
Bangar, nonetheless, was quick to point out Rahane’s brilliant track record in overseas games. The Mumbai star averages more than 53 in away Tests compared to his home average of 44.69. Six of his nine Test centuries have come on foreign soil, and he managed to score centuries in all the away tours except Bangladesh and South Africa.
“He is one of the few players who has scored in every overseas country we have toured. That shows the quality he possesses. He is a quality player who has always performed when the chips are down for the team. He will be hurting with the kind of dismissals he has had but he is too good a player to not score runs for a long time,” Bangar said.
Bangar further said that the current form of a player is paramount when it comes to selecting the playing eleven.
“The team management is very clear that the current form and the way in which the mindset of a player is going to be is paramount while picking the final XI,”
Bangar said.
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