Ajinkya Rahane Bats With Grit But Fails To Get Big Score Again

Though India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has emerged as a strong contender for captaincy after leading India to wins in two out of three Tests in Australia a few months ago, his batting has become a c

This wasn't the first time he had fallen to a short delivery from Wagner. On the tour of New Zealand in early 2020, he had chopped a short ball onto his stumps as he tried to work the ball to fine leg in the second Test in Christchurch.

No wonder former India batsman VVS Laxman wasn't impressed. "This is something that has become a pattern with Rahane's batting. It was the same game plan that New Zealand used against him in Christchurch. This is something he requires to understand," said Laxman, who batted at No.5, a position where Rahane bats.

Another former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar has blamed Rahane's state of mind for the struggles, although he praised the level of application he showed in the ongoing Test.

"The thing about Rahane is that there is not one particular mode of dismissal for him in the last few years when he has got low scores. So, I have always associated his dismissals and low scores with his state of mind," Manjrekar told.

To bring home Manjrekar's point, Rahane has been dismissed five times by spinners and six times by pacers since the beginning of this year. He has been bowled, caught in the slips and at square leg against pacers. He has been bowled, caught at short leg and at cover against spinners.