Ajinkya Rahane: Felt I should have played for India at No. 4 in the 2019 ODI World Cup

[saik]

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/29751248/ajinkya-rahane-felt-played-india-no-4-2019-odi-world-cup

 

Ajinkya Rahane believes he should have been the No. 4 India were looking for at the 2019 ODI World Cup, a vacancy they failed to fill after trying various players. Rahane last played ODI cricket on the tour of South Africa in 2017-18 when his captain Virat Kohli called him a "strong candidate" for the No. 4 slot in the World Cup in England. Until then Rahane was seen as someone who did well at No. 3 but struggled if he had to start his innings against an older ball and a well-spread field.

Kohli's lifeline to Rahane - handed out under the impression that middle overs in England would feature more pace bowling than they do in Asia - lasted only one series, in which Rahane scored 140 runs in five innings.

"I was actually thinking I will be there in the World Cup batting at No. 4, but it is gone now," Rahane said at a virtual press conference. "You cannot think too much about it. My goal, my aim, is to come back into the ODI team, do well in white-ball cricket which I am really confident about. I don't think too much about it [the World Cup], [but] yes, especially when I was playing county cricket when World Cup was happening…as a player everyone wants to be a part of the World Cup team, especially when you know you have worked really hard, your record in the past was really good.

"But I always think of things I can control as an individual and how can I give my best and learn and get better as a cricketer. Right now my only aim is to do well for Delhi Capitals. And I am sure about my ODI comeback, and I do believe in myself. Not thinking too much about it, but yes at that time I felt that I should be there at No. 4."

Rahane maintained his record in ODI cricket was good when he was dropped. "If you see my record before getting dropped in ODIs, it was good actually," he said when asked where he saw his white-ball career going. "People obviously talk about strike rates, people talk about averages; in the two years before getting dropped, my record was really good in 50-overs cricket.

"I am really positive, I believe in myself, and it is all about that. Having that faith in myself rather than what people are saying. Just keep working hard, which I am doing in my career. I have the ability, I have the belief in myself, and I am sure I will be back in white-ball cricket."

In the two years before being left out of the India team, starting with the ODI series in Australia, Rahane batted 25 times and averaged 42 with a strike rate a trickle under 80. However, 17 of those innings came at the top of the order. So most of his ODI cricket in those two years came when one of the first-choice openers was missing. He could argue, though, that once identified as a potential No. 4 he didn't get a long enough run.

Rahane starts his new IPL season with a similar dilemma for his team management. He is best utilised as an opening batsman, but the side is filled with explosive openers: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Jason Roy. They even have Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant with first dibs at Nos 3 and 4. Asked if he was asked to take up a finisher's role, Rahane said he would be game to try it.

"We are still in quarantine. We are still stuck in our rooms as of now," Rahane said when asked if he knew what role he would be playing for Delhi Capitals. "What role I am going to play I don't know. We will have to wait and watch. When we start our practice session, then only we will have that communication.

"You know my character. I am always open to whatever the team asks me to do. I always give my best for that particular role. Having said that I always opened throughout my career. I always enjoy opening the batting. It is completely up to the team management what role they want me to play. I will 100% accept that. If they want me to bat 5 or 6, I will definitely accept it. It will be an opportunity for me as a cricketer to explore something new about my game."

However, the switch is not easy. As many a team has found out, starting an innings in the middle overs is the toughest job in T20 cricket. As Rahane himself said, you have neither the time nor the cushion of field restrictions at the start of the innings. "When opening, you know there are just two fielders outside the ring," he said. "So you have the freedom to express yourself. Whereas in the middle order - 4, 5, 6 - you have to grind. You know the field is spread. The boundary options are fewer. In 50-overs cricket, still there are only four fielders outside till 40 overs."

The uncertainty around Covid-19 means the team management has not had the luxury of letting a player know his role well in advance so he can start training for it, but Rahane said five to six intense sessions should be enough for someone to adapt to a new role. Capitals hope they will start training on August 29; their quarantine ends on the 28th with one final Covid-19 test due on that date.

 

 

 

He still wants to get in the ODI team

Edited August 27, 2020 by saik

[Skipper]

Glad that selectors din't feel that way.

[coffee_rules]

Boss, worry about your place in the test team. Woh bhi phisalte ja raha hain, 

[Stan AF]

You?

#4 ?

 

in the ODI Team???

 

[SK_IH]

Whenever this lodu opens his mouth, I get reminded of that foolish remark during WT20 semis in 2016. A player completely delusional about his abilities and modern approach in general. 

No.4 batsman lol, he should stick to Ranji trophy and wasting a spot in an IPL team.

[Gollum]

Delusion has limits, shameless Rahane, lodu. One of the worst investments in Indian cricket history, our Asad Shafiq, but has played 90 ODIs and 20 I-T20s lololol. 

[Gollum]

Look at the entitlement of Indian cricketers, both former and current ones. System is so rotten. 

[Ankit_sharma03]

2015 wc men to no.4 tha na....kya farq pad gya 

[vvvslaxman]

Shreyas Iyer is the only who can make that statement.  This guy is not even doing well in the Tests

[Suhaan]

Maybe too happy for his test captain becoming papa

Out of extreme happiness sometimes chewts make such claims

[BacktoCricaddict]

Merge this thread with:  

 

 

 

[Ajju]

We could have won with rahane 4 and dhoni at 5

[Vilander]

I know this is unpopular , but i think we could have won with him in the lineup. I dislike the player  because he is so physically small and weak.

[cricketfan28]

he would have done better in the NZ match , but they were better players than him.

[Vilander]

6 minutes ago, cricketfan28 said:

he would have done better in the NZ match , but they were better players than him.

there were only two games India were going to loose in that tournament.

 

batting first in a batathon on a road with England, and slow killer against NZ in a swinging low scorer, and that too a start stop rain game. That game was made for Rahane. 

[Vilander]

Missed chance of lifetime for India and Kohli.. 

[SRT100]

7 hours ago, Vilander said:

there were only two games India were going to loose in that tournament.

 

batting first in a batathon on a road with England, and slow killer against NZ in a swinging low scorer, and that too a start stop rain game. That game was made for Rahane. 

I agree I think in those situations that Rahane would have been ok.

 

India created the problem, by not giving other players opportunities in the lead up to this world cup.

 

Allowing Rohit, Kohli to score mindless useless centuries in bi-lateral series instead should have been rested allowing other players to prove their worth.

[Ankit_sharma03]

9 hours ago, cricketfan28 said:

he would have done better in the NZ match , but they were better players than him.

 

12 hours ago, vvvslaxman said:

Shreyas Iyer is the only who can make that statement.  This guy is not even doing well in the Tests

11 hours ago, Ajju said:

We could have won with rahane 4 and dhoni at 5

all it takes it is one ball to get a batsman out, so we can never say who wud have made a diff on that day

Nobody here expected that jadeja will play the best innings that day 

 

Ye hota wo hota koi farq nhin padta ......on a given day it can be anyone even a tail ender

 

[ShoonyaSifar]

On the basis of what? Picking Vijay Shankar was indeed a travesty but not picking Rahane was the right call. Even Ambatti Rayudu had a much better claim on that number 4 position.

[Gollum]

The only player who can have legit grievance is Shreyas Iyer, madness to ignore him despite his 43/100 stats during WC selection time. Now it is 50/100, fantastic #4 for modern day cricket. Even England's Morgan has overall 40/90 and 43/97 since 2015. Simply put, Iyer would have walked into every single squad in 2019 WC except Indian one. One of the worst selection blunders in Indian cricket history.