Ajinkya Rahane. The name surely does not send shivers down the spine of the bowlers around the world. What it does though, is it provides some sort of solidarity in the Indian middle order.
Rahane was seen on the benches most of the time when Sachin was reaching the fag end of his career, getting an opportunity here and there, which he couldn't grab with both hands on all occasions. And quite understandably so. One cannot expect a batsman to jump-in in a one-off game and score a flamboyant ton. But, a bench strength he certainly was.
Sachin retired with an unforgettable 74 at the Wankhede stadium against the West Indies, in a test series which Harsha Bhogle correctly noted by saying, "West Indies would be feeling they have come to someone else's wedding." As it turned out, Sachin got a fitting farewell as India won the series 2-0.
Before the master retired, likes of Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman made way for youngsters to start bleeding the patriotic blue, or should I say, "The testing white." And as soon as Sachin put a full stop to international cricket, Ajinkya Rahane started getting games as the new-found no.5. What big shoes to fill! The fab four were out of the equation and the burden of responsibility, all of a sudden, came on the young middle order shoulders. Rahane was one of them. His impressive domestic record made everyone expect a lot from him every time he went out to bat. Gradually, in his short stint up till now, people have already begun to see the new Rahul Dravid in Ajinkya Rahane's compact batting technique. That's how cricket is followed in India. If you are good, you have to keep on being better and better and better.
Rahane was seen on the benches most of the time when Sachin was reaching the fag end of his career, getting an opportunity here and there, which he couldn't grab with both hands on all occasions. And quite understandably so. One cannot expect a batsman to jump-in in a one-off game and score a flamboyant ton. But, a bench strength he certainly was.
Sachin retired with an unforgettable 74 at the Wankhede stadium against the West Indies, in a test series which Harsha Bhogle correctly noted by saying, "West Indies would be feeling they have come to someone else's wedding." As it turned out, Sachin got a fitting farewell as India won the series 2-0.
Before the master retired, likes of Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman made way for youngsters to start bleeding the patriotic blue, or should I say, "The testing white." And as soon as Sachin put a full stop to international cricket, Ajinkya Rahane started getting games as the new-found no.5. What big shoes to fill! The fab four were out of the equation and the burden of responsibility, all of a sudden, came on the young middle order shoulders. Rahane was one of them. His impressive domestic record made everyone expect a lot from him every time he went out to bat. Gradually, in his short stint up till now, people have already begun to see the new Rahul Dravid in Ajinkya Rahane's compact batting technique. That's how cricket is followed in India. If you are good, you have to keep on being better and better and better.
