Ajinkya Rahane, in a corner to save his Test career again
As he prepares for the Trinidad Test starting Thursday, Ajinkya Rahane may be chuckling to himself thinking about selectors’ whims. Kept out of the Test side after a prolonged lean phase, he was almost the forgotten man in Indian cricket, till he played some swashbuckling knocks for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. That somehow convinced the wise men that Rahane was good enough to make a comeback to the Test side, for a World Championship final no less. He was the most prolific Indian batsman against Australia at The Oval, getting close to a hundred in the first innings. So when there was an urge for bloodletting after the debacle, it was Cheteshwar Pujara – the other vulnerable senior in the side – who suffered the axe. Rahane, who has led India with distinction whenever given the chance, was even appointed Rohit Sharma’s deputy for the two-Test series in the West Indies, prompting more than a few eyebrows from people who thought it was a step backwards. Now with one ...