'Rahane's form not a concern', says batting coach Vikram Rathour
India batting coach Vikram Rathour believes vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will make a turnaround soon. In his recent statement, Rathour said that Rahane's poor form is not a concern at the moment. Rahane is going through a lean patch in Test cricket. He was dismissed for a duck in the second innings of the fourth England-India Test at The Oval.
Here is what Rathour said
The Indian batting coach revealed the team will continue to back Rahane. "When you are playing cricket for such a long time, you will have phases, where you will not get runs, and that is the time as a team we need to back them and support them as much as we can," Rathour said during a virtual press conference on Sunday.
Rahane averages 15.57 in the England series
Rahane has looked tepid in the Test series so far. He has been indecisive in terms of his footwork. Rahane was only impressive at Lord's where he smashed 61 (146) in the third innings. His scores in the series read as - 0, 14, 10, 18, 61, 1, and 5. He has scored 109 runs from seven innings at just 15.57.
Rathour gives the example of Cheteshwar Pujara
Rathour quoted the example of Cheteshwar Pujara while describing Rahane's poor run. He explained how the Indian top-order batsman came back strongly after a sustaining a similar patch. Pujara has registered 50+ scores in the last two Tests. "We saw with Pujara also, him getting more opportunities and he has come back and played couple of very important innings for us," added Rathour.
Rahane has scored 372 runs since his last Test ton
Rahane slammed his last Test ton in December 2020. He smashed 112 in the Boxing Day Test against Australia, which helped India claim a historic win. Ever since, Rahane has mustered just 372 runs from 19 Test innings at an average of 19.57. The tally includes mere two 50+ scores. His highest score during this period is 67 (vs ENG, Chennai).
Rahane's footwork has been under the scanner
Rahane has been one of India's most dependable batsman in Test cricket over the years. He has the propensity to counter swing well. His overseas Test average of 41.71 is a testament to this. In fact, eight of Rahane's 12 Test tons have come away from home. His footwork has been under the scanner, which appears wavered at the moment.
A forgettable record of Rahane
Rahane's Test average has fallen under 40 for the first time since 2015. His average had soared to 51.37 when his struck his career-best score of 188 in Indore in 2016. Rahane's Test average plunged to 39.96 after the first innings of the Oval Test.
