Virat Kohli should define Ajinkya Rahane's role, feels Sourav Ganguly

What’s the story?

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly feels that current skipper Virat Kohli should define Ajinkya Rahane’s role in the team. According to Ganguly, a player like Rahane needs to know how important he is for the squad so as to take his game “a few notches higher”.

“[Rahane] knows that he will be playing these five matches and the feeling of relief is showing in his game,” Ganguly wrote in a column published in the Times of India, “I believe Kohli should immediately sit with Rahane and define his role in the team clearly, so that a talent like him knows the road ahead clearly. A free-minded Rahane will not only take his game a few notches higher but will also know about his importance in the squad.”

Kuldeep Yadav is another player who has impressed Ganguly. “This boy has a lot of variation in his bowling, and especially on flat tracks this ability of his could be an asset for the side,” he wrote.

In case you didn’t know…

While he is a regular in the Test team, Rahane has enjoyed a topsy-turvy ODI career. He has been in and out of the team, sometimes playing as an opener, and at other times at No. 4, 5, 6, even 7.

The right-handed batsman is playing in ODIs in the ongoing series against West Indies for the first time since January. So far, he has impressed with two fifty-plus scores and a century. However, it should be kept in mind that he has found a place in the XI only because Rohit Sharma has been rested.

The heart of the matter

Apart from heaping praise on Rahane and Kuldeep, Ganguly also wrote about the poor state of West Indian cricket.

Ganguly opined that the decline of the West Indies was not at all good advertisement for world cricket. In the past, their “flair and charisma” had delighted us but now, they have even failed to qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy.

The former Indian batsman further said that the way things are heading, he would not be surprised if India took home the series 4-0. He believes that the Windies cricket officials should work hard to reclaim their legacy as the cricket world was only getting poorer without them.

What’s next?

The Indian team play the fourth ODI against West Indies later today while the final match will be played 6^th July, 2017 which will be followed by a T20 series. They will then tour Sri Lanka for a three-match Test series and a five-match ODI series.

Author’s take

Rahane is one of the most technically sound batsmen in the current Indian team. As Ganguly said, he has shown what an asset he can be for the team once he knows what is required of him by the team. However, with Sharma and Dhawan in such good form, it is unlikely that Rahane will feature in the ODI team if they are both in the squad.