Ajinkya Rahane scratchy, down on confidence: Sourav Ganguly
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has said that stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane's confidence has gone down and it was evident from his batting. Rahane has scored 160 runs with an average of 26.66 in the ongoing India-Australia series so far. "It's not the Rahane we have seen...he is just a bit out of the place at the moment," Ganguly added.
Ajinkya Rahane has been one of India's most dependable batsmen in recent times, especially in overseas conditions where others have failed to deliver. (SCORECARD)Rahane is a proven performer abroad where he has scored 1588 runs in 21 matches at an average of 51.22, including five hundreds and eight fifties. Ajinkya Rahane scratchy, down on confidence: Sourav Ganguly to India TodayHowever, his performance at home has not been up to the mark when compared to his away numbers. In 16 matches, Rahane has scored 954 runs at an average of 38.15, including three hundreds and as many fifties. (Dharamsala Test, Day 2: Key highlights)One had expected that Rahane would improve his stats at home in the marathon season which will end after the ongoing fourth Test against Australia in Dharamsala. Rahane started India's home season of 13 Tests with a bang against New Zealand where he scored 347 runs in three matches, including a century and a fifty. (India vs Australia, 4th Test, Day 2: As it happened)However, he failed to sustain the momentum in the following series against England where he managed only 63 runs in the first three Tests before being ruled out of the last two matches with a finger injury.He returned to the team in the one-off Test against Bangladesh and scored 82 in the first innings and 28 in the second as India thrashed their neighbours comprehensively. (Nathan Lyon hurts India after Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara fifties)But against Australia, Rahane has again been found struggling to make runs. He has so far managed to score just 160 runs with an average of 26.66, including a half-century.In the series-deciding fourth Test against the Aussies, Rahane was handed the additional responsibility of captaining the side after Virat Kohli was ruled out following a shoulder injury. (Cheteshwar Pujara breaks Gautam Gambhir's eight-year-old record)Chasing Australia's first innings total of 300 runs, India were at 157/2 on Day 2, and with the dependable Cheteshwar Pujara and Rahane looking set in the middle. India appeared to have the upper hand before Nathan Lyon (4/67) intervened after tea.In the first over of the final session, Lyon sent back Pujara for 57 and went on to dismiss Karun Nair, Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin to deflate the hosts. (STATS: Ravindra Jadeja 10th Indian to achieve all-round double of 1000 runs, 100 wickets in Tests)Rahane found himself in the line of fire and the otherwise dependable batsman made things difficult for himself by trying to pull and hook his way out of trouble. He was dismissed for 46. Reflecting on Rahane's inconsistent form, former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Sunday told India Today that the Mumbaikar has been scratchy and down on confidence. (Lokesh Rahul seeks second innings redemption in Dharamsala)"Ajinkya Rahane is scratchy. It is not the Rahane we have seen over a long period of time. Think about the Rahane at Lord's (2013) where it was seaming, decking, bouncing and he just batted as if it was a different track. "Imagine his hundreds in Australia. He is just a bit out of the place at the moment, maybe mentally... the confidence has gone down a bit because he hasn't had a good series against England," Ganguly told India Today. (Gallery)