Ajinkya Rahane Aims to Fill the Void in India's Middle Order Ahead of England Tour
Rahane's Quest for Consistency in India's Lineup
The retirement of King Kohli from Test cricket has created a significant gap in India's lineup as they prepare for their upcoming tour of England. With other notable players like Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin also stepping away from the longest format, India's batting depth is now under scrutiny. Gautam Gambhir and the selectors are actively searching for a reliable No. 4 batsman, with Ajinkya Rahane putting in the effort at the MCA center in Mumbai.
Rahane, who has been a long-time partner to Kohli, previously led India to a historic Border-Gavaskar Trophy win in Australia during Kohli's absence. Despite the acclaim from fans following that series, he has faced challenges in securing a consistent spot in the team since then.
After a disappointing performance in South Africa in January 2022, the 36-year-old was dropped from the squad. He made a comeback for the 2023 World Test Championship Final, where he was the top scorer for India and even served as vice-captain during the West Indies series. However, he has not been included in the Test squad for the past two years.
No rest days 🏏 pic.twitter.com/Uew50SpBPm
— Ajinkya Rahane (Parody) (@Beast_xx_) May 12, 2025
During this time, Rahul Dravid and Gambhir have tried various players with limited success. Newcomers like Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar, and Devdutt Padikkal have made their debuts, while KL Rahul has been moved down the order. With Kohli unavailable, India's middle order appears inexperienced and fragile. Rahane, who has toured England three times, could provide the essential experience needed. Aakash Chopra, a seasoned Indian opener, believes that both Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara could be valuable assets for the upcoming series in England.
Read also: Virat Kohli Retires from Tests After BGT 2024–25 Struggles
Overview of Indian Middle Order Batsmen:
| Player | Matches | Runs | Average | 50s | 100s |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 85 | 5077 | 38.46 | 26 | 12 |
| KL Rahul | 7 | 342 | 34.2 | 2 | 1 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 14 | 811 | 36.86 | 5 | 1 |
| Rajat Patidar | 3 | 63 | 10.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Devdutt Padikkal | 2 | 90 | 30 | 1 | 0 |
| Sarfaraz Khan | 6 | 371 | 37.1 | 3 | 1 |
Despite his past achievements, Rahane's average in England is only 28, with seven scores over fifty in 38 innings. While he has shown potential in T20 formats, his first-class performance has been inconsistent.
In the current Ranji Trophy season, Rahane accumulated 467 runs across nine matches, averaging 35.92, with one century and one fifty in 14 innings. In contrast, his Mumbai teammate Shreyas Iyer has nearly doubled that average in just seven innings.