While everyone has been going gaga over Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan following their brilliant centuries in the first two matches of the World Cup, one man has been silently soaking in whatever little admiration has been coming his way. He isn't as flamboyant as his other two flashy teammates mentioned above, but his performance is equally crucial to his team's cause. Ajinkya Rahane may never be a superstar in Indian cricket, but he is very likely to become the batsman India heavily rely on in the years to come, ala Rahul Dravid. In his short international career, he has already proved his worth to the side across formats, and there is no reason why he can't get any better.
Versatility is the key element Rahane brings along with him to the team. At Melbourne, when Dhawan was slowing down approaching a much needed hundred, it was Rahane who took it upon himself to up the scoring rate. It was an unselfish approach, which has defined Rahane's batting ever since his entry into international cricket. Although he possesses a swift technique to deal with challenging conditions, his stroke making ability is often underestimated. He can play some fantastic shots without slogging, a feature evident in his 60-ball 79 against South Africa at Melbourne.
While Rahane currently bats at his customary number four position, he is also eminently capable of opening the innings. He has already done so for India with reasonable success. Thus, in case, India have an injury problem at the top, Rahane can always step in, and has often done so. India can still push him to open if Rohit Sharma fails to find form at the top of the order. The great thing with Rahane, as his skipper MS Dhoni said in praise of him, is that he is open to new ideas. In short, Rahane is a complete team man, who can bat anywhere the team wants him to, without having any qualms about doing so. Such players are rare.
India would do well to utilise the services of Rahane as a floater in the batting order. In case, India lose a couple of early wickets, he can hold the innings together, and anchor the ship for his team. Rahane actually has two gears to his game, and can switch on either as per the demand of the situation. The fact that Suresh Raina batted ahead of Rahane at Adelaide is a clear indication of the fact that India are willing to be flexible with the position depending on the team scenario. Both Rahane and Raina played similar knocks against South Africa and Pakistan respectively. But, while Raina's game is one-dimensional albeit equally dangerous, Rahane brings more to the table with his versatility.
Apart from batting, Rahane is a livewire in the field as well. He dives around and stops the ball rather effortlessly, and is reasonably good with throwing down the stumps as well. He is also a swift mover around the field. All these make Rahane a highly invaluable asset to the side. Along with Raina, Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, Rahane has taken India's fielding to an altogether new level in the last year. So well did India field against South Africa that the Proteas were caught completely unaware, and Rahane made his presence felt for sure. India should feel blessed to have a player of Rahane's calibre in their midst.
--By A Cricket Analyst
