After being dropped from the Indian Test squad last year, Ajinkya Rahane went through a domestic grind and scored plenty of runs to regain his place in the red-ball side.
Rahane was recalled to the Test team for the WTC 2023 final against Australia and he registered scores of 89 and 46 in the marquee clash at The Oval last month.
As expected, Rahane retained his place in the Test side for the West Indies tour and he was also handed the vice-captaincy of the team.
However, the 35-year-old managed to score only 3 runs in India’s only innings in the Dominica Test and he would like to make amends in the second Test, starting July 20 in Port of Spain.
Talking about Rahane’s comeback, his assured approach in the middle is what stood out for batting coach Vikram Rathour, who believes the Indian team will need the right-hander to maintain form when it tours South Africa later this year.
“He played really well in the WTC final. He has always been a good player. He was dropped because of bad form. When it comes to technique, you constantly work on that but what stood out for me that he was much more calm in his approach,” Rathour quoted as saying by PTI.
“He was playing late and close to the body. That has been the standout thing since his comeback. He is still batting the same way in the nets. We hope he will do well. Conditions in South Africa, you will need somebody like him to come good,” he added.
Rathour showered rich praise on young Yashasvi Jaiswal, who slammed 171 on his Test debut in Dominica last week.
“I’ve been a selector before, so whenever you pick a player you should pick him with the intent that he will play for India for the next 10 years. He definitely has the potential.
“For me the most important thing though I haven’t worked with Yashasvi before, was that I had seen him scoring runs at the IPL, you saw how dynamic a batter he is, the kind of stroke-player he is. But he managed to change the game according to the situation of the team.
“On the second day he scored some 20 runs off 90 balls before Lunch. I think that for me was the highlight of the innings. Somebody who is able to do that, who can play against his character, his normal game, get through that phase and then score big runs, it was phenomenal to watch,” Rathour said.
After dropping himself down to number three in the batting order, Shubman Gill got out for a single-digit score (6) in the first Test against West Indies.
However, Rathour said Gill will get enough chances to prove himself in his new batting position.
“He has a lot of potential, and he has reached that potential as well in other formats. He has also made runs in Test cricket. Sometimes it might take a bit of time in a particular format, and he is taking that time, but he has that time.
“He is taking some time but the good thing is that there is no dearth of hardwork, he is working out on things. And along with potential he also has the temperament, which makes one a big player. Again, there’s no doubt that he’ll play all three formats for a long time,” he remarked.
(With PTI Inputs)
