Pride and prejudice at Eden
In Cuttack, Ajinkya Rahane had turned up at the ground about three hours before India’s scheduled net session. With batting coach Sanjay Bangar by his side, the Mumbai batsman was knocking down when the South African team arrived. The Proteas were following their schedule and Rahane had to make way.
During India’s practice session, he had a short stint and it became obvious that Rahane was still not in MS Dhoni’s scheme of things as far as the playing XI was concerned.
After the humiliating defeat in the second match, Dhoni might try different combinations for the dead rubber that Eden Gardens would be hosting on Thursday. And if the Indian net session, on match eve, serves any indication, Rahane is likely to be part of the plan for the third and final T20 international.
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He had a long stint; facing the seamers first, then moving to the other part of the ground to take throw-downs before returning to the nets proper to play the spinners.
Rahane was trying to improvise against the slow bowlers – the first reverse lap took the top edge, but he corrected himself quickly and timed the next one sweetly.
Rahane has been made to suffer in limited-overs cricket of late as Dhoni suddenly felt he was not good enough to rotate the strike on subcontinent pitches. “Whenever he (Rahane) has played at No. 4 or No. 5, if the wicket is slow, then he struggles to rotate the strike freely. Especially when he’s just starting his innings, he has a bit of trouble,” Dhoni had said during the Bangladesh tour earlier this year. Ambati Rayudu got the captain’s vote of confidence instead.
We will come to head-to-head comparison between Rahane and Rayudu later. But it was clear that the selectors didn’t agree with Dhoni, for they appointed Rahane the captain of the Indian team for the Zimbabwe tour, which the regular limited-overs skipper and six other frontline players skipped due to fatigue factor.
As Dhoni returned to lead the team for the ongoing series against South Africa, Rahane once again found himself on the bench. It didn’t prove to be a big issue in Dharamsala despite the loss, because India had put on an imposing total. But the batting debacle at Barabati seems to have forced a rethink.
Here’s the comparative statistics between Rahane and Rayudu in the shorter formats over the last two seasons in Asia (Dhoni spoke about the slow pitches). In 16 ODIs between November 1, 2013 and October 7, 2015, Rahane has scored 534 runs, including one century, at 33.37. Rayudu, on the other hand, has made 454 runs (one century) in 17 matches at 37.83. They’ve played very few T20 internationals – Rahane six and Rayudu three, including the first two matches of this series. So, for the shortest format, maybe it would be wiser to judge them by the recent IPL numbers.
In 2014, Rahane had scored 339 runs in 13 IPL games at a strike-rate of 116.49, opening the innings for Rajasthan Royals. Rayudu was a shade better with 361 runs in 15 matches at a strike-rate of 125.78. He batted in the middle-order for Mumbai Indians. This year, Rahane finished with 540 runs from 14 matches; strike-rate 130.75. Rayudu had an average season with 281 runs from 15 matches; strike-rate 145.59.
Cricket, however, is not just hard numbers and Kagiso Rabada provided with a perfect example in the last game, outsmarting Rayudu. The latter, visibly unsure against the young South African fast bowler’s pace, was expecting a bouncer. He swung wildly as Rabada’s fast full-toss went through under the bat and sent the leg stump flying.
“Ajinkya Rahane is a quality player and there’s no doubt about it. All depends on the team management as to what they feel will be the best team combination to win the game and going forward. Let’s see what they decide but as I said Rahane is a quality player; that’s all I can say,” Harbhajan Singh said at the pre-match presser.
Binny in the mix?
Dhoni, however, has a mind of his own and it won’t be a surprise if he replaces Rayudu with Stuart Binny, who batted first in the nets today. With the Indian medium pacers struggling, the captain might seek an extra (all-round) option.
Mishra puts in a shift
Amit Mishra bowled almost non-stop in the nets. The leg-spinner hasn’t played limited-overs cricket since October 2014. In fact, his last T20 international was in Dhaka in April last year. India fielded three spinners in the last game and they’re likely to retain the same combination on Thursday. The Eden Gardens pitch looks firm on the top, but according to a senior groundsman, there’s dampness underneath. It might get slower and lower as the match progresses. Will Mishra get a game?
Axar Patel played in the first two matches because Dhoni wanted his “second spinner” to be a good hitter at the backend of the innings. Patel had an opportunity to contribute with the bat at Barabati, but he made nine off 12 balls. The youngster also never looked like making an impact with his left-arm spin. Mishra is the man in form, albeit his success in Sri Lanka came in Tests. With the ODIs coming up followed by the four-Test series, it might not be a bad idea to give him a chance.
3rd t20: Live on Star Sports 1 – 7pm
CAB to show documentary on Dalmiya
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) will pay respects to Jagmohan Dalmiya with a three-minute documentary on the former BCCI president before the start of the third T20 international between India and South Africa at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. Also, a minute’s silence will be observed in memory of the late cricket administrator, who passed away on September 20. A five-minute docu-feature on South African anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela will also be shown during the innings break, which is in conjunction with the title of the ongoing series, named after Mahatma Gandhi and Mandela.
