Ajinkya Rahane steps out of Rohit Sharma's shadow, makes India No.6 spot his own

Rohit Sharma was supposed to be the next great Mumbai batsman after Sachin Tendulkar. He was the can’t-miss prospect who had every shot in the book and all the time in the world to play them. Such was his potential that he was fast-tracked into India’s ODI side barely a year after he made his first-class debut. He was only 19 years old at the time. Ajinkya Rahane was unheralded in comparison. There was no fast track to international cricket for him. A year younger than Rohit, he earned his first Mumbai cap in 2007 but national recognition would not come his way for another four years. Even after that, Rahane would be forced to wait. He played a few ODIs in England in that disastrous tour of 2011 but spent 16 months on the bench before he got his Test debut against Australia in 2012. That too would prove to be a false dawn as Rohit replaced him in the playing XI for Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell Test series against the West Indies at home. With his century on the first day at Lord’s on a green surface that would not have been out of place at Wimbledon, Rahane has firmly stepped out of his Mumbai team-mate’s shadow and made the No.6 spot in the Indian batting order his own.

Unlike Rohit, Rahane tends to shine when the pressure is greatest. He showed he could battle in South Africa, looking completely at ease against Dale Steyn and company in Durban. His first Test century in New Zealand reinforced both his mental discipline and his shot making in conditions outside the subcontinent. Both traits would be required on the first day of the second Test. Old failings had rocked India in the second session. They lost four wickets for 67 runs between lunch and tea and it left Rahane battling to salvage the first innings with the tail. Unlike at Nottingham, a green Lord’s pitch was giving England’s seamers plenty of help. At 128 for 6, India was in danger of failing to reach 200. Stuart Binny did not last long this time, his innings sawn off by a incorrect lbw decision – Hawkeye showed the ball bouncing six inches over the stumps – but Rahane found an able partner in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is also coming in to this own with the bat in this series. The pair was careful not to play at anything just outside offstump but quick to capitalise when England’s bowlers erred. Rahane took his time to get going. His first 20 runs came from 47 deliveries, with twelve of those from boundaries. That meant eight runs scored from 44 balls. Still, it looked like Rahane was in control of the situation rather than England’s bowlers; like a boxer lulling his opponent into a false sense of security. Once he was into his 30s and well set, Rahane began to punish England’s tiring attack. Anything short was cut or pulled while anything up to the batsman was driven. He reached his fifty with a scorching drive over extra-cover. As England’s bowlers tired, Rahane became more expansive. He lost Kumar after the pair had put on 90 very valuable runs and adapted by upping his scoring rate. The pick of his shots was a straight-arm jab to a full ball from Anderson that went soaring down the ground for six. It was during a period when he went from 78 to 103 in just 18 deliveries, with 18 of those 22 runs coming in boundaries. He reached his 100 the same way he got to his fifty, with a drive through the covers. Unfortunately for India, Rahane would not end the day unbeaten, being caught and bowled by James Anderson for 103. But he had come in with India 113 for 4 and left with his side 275 for 9, having shepherded a recovery which looked improbable when England were running-through India’s middle order. He was helped by some poor captaincy from Cook, who once again was obsessed with the short ball as a weapon, but there was no denying the quality of his innings. “Great technique. Great exhibition of skill, temperament, talent. He brought everything today,” Rahul Dravid said on Star Sports after the day’s play. It is likely that the struggle Rahane went through to play for his country has made him tougher. He had accumulated 18 first-class centuries in Ranji Trophy before turning out for India in Test, so he knew how to build an innings. He also knew the value of a place in the Indian side, having earned and lost it multiple times. He knows there is no room for complacency and that he must perform or perish. “I just wanted to play my game,” Rahane said. “Initially to play as close as possible and then back my instincts.” Having watched another exhibition of gutsy, determined batting from Rahane, India will be glad they backed him too and left Rohit on the bench instead.