AJINKYA RAHANE BIOGRAPHY
In Test circuit Indians are infamously poor travellers, but Ajinkya Rahane does not seem to belong to that class. He had a forgettable Test debut in 2013 at Delhi against Australia — after biding time at the bench for close to two years — but by the time he played his next Test at home he had 4 Test centuries and 7 half-centuries to his credit. And when he returned to Delhi for his next Test, Rahane slammed 2 centuries in the same Test against South Africa in Gandhi-Mandela Trophy 2015-16 — the only 2 tons recorded in the entire four-Test affair.
Surrounded by immensely talented batsmen who compulsorily hog all limelight, Rahane goes about his job in a way so simple that it becomes obligatory to compare him with the likes of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman.
And there are similarities as well. Rahane has scripted a Test win at Lord’s with a marvellous 103 — the historic win at the home of cricket after 28 years. He has notched up centuries in Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and has been one of India’s most consistent batsmen in the past few years. Just like Dravid.
Some of his most impressive knocks came in his maiden overseas tour, to South Africa. Against a rampaging South African bowling attack, a resolute Rahane struck 47 in his first innings overseas at Johannesburg. Durban, however, remains an example of Rahane’s best. He scored 51* in the first innings, and fought alone till the end to score 157-ball 96.
In limited-overs cricket, the pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan has been the preferred one, but Rahane has chipped in whenever there have been openings, and has done extremely well, averaging more than 40. In T20Is his numbers are not as special as in IPL, where he is one of the most destructive batsmen.
If Virat Kohli, Rohit, Dhawan and are the destroyers, Rahane is the traditional grinder who can battle it out with the bowlers in most challenging of situations. His 262-run stand with Kohli at MCG during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014-15 was a glance into the future of Indian batting.
Indian selectors have tried Rahane for leadership roles as well. His first stint as India captain was on the customary Zimbabwe tour every year, in 2015, where Rahane captained India to wins in ODIs as well as T20Is. In mid-2016, Rahane was rewarded for his consistency and hard work as he was appointed India’s vice-captain for the tour of West Indies.
Devarchit Varma
