Since December 2013, when India embarked their overseas assignment starting from South Africa, Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli have been the fulcrum around which Indian batting order has revolved.
Cheteshwar Pujara has been failure, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma inconsistent and Murali Vijay has done well in patches though he has not been not good enough.
While there has been plenty said about Kohli, Rahane has been a somewhat quiet achiever.
Rahane singlehandedly won the Lord’s Test on back of his 103 on a greentop wicket. Surely, after such tough overseas assignments and doing as well as he has done, he will improve when he plays in subcontinental conditions.
The way he took on Mitchell Johnson during his innings of 147 in third Test match in Melbourne left many surprised, including opposition players and probably Rahane himself.
Even Australian crowds seem to acknowledge it – applauding him and his must-win attitude.
Rahane has over 11,000 runs at an average of 57.93 in first class cricket playing for Mumbai. He has 23 hundreds. Staggering figures.
He always has been the man to score 1000 or more runs per year.
As a fielder he is constantly improving. The question was not about his technique, it was about his temperament. Was he able to handle the pressure and challenge of big leagues?
All that seemed to be put to rest when he made his T-20 debut against England, scoring a 47-ball 61 before knocking up a half century in his next game.
Since 2013, he has been the top run scorer for the Rajasthan Royals. His batting seems to have taken giant strides.
He has been consistent in all three formats and has grown from strength to strength as his side’s x-factor.
He can hit the ball in unconventional areas, making it harder for bowlers to break him down.
At just 27, there is no doubt his best years are ahead of him he will definitely get better and better. Going by his recent hot streak no doubt he is the one to watch out for in future.
Can he be the best in the world? He has the potential. It is up to him if he will deliver.
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