India batsman Ajinkya Rahane’s role in the team should be defined by captain Virat Kohli, former skipper Sourav Ganguly said. Rahane is playing One-Day Internationals for the first time after January during India’s ongoing series against West Indies and has impressed with scores of 62, 103 and 72. However, Rahane is in the team only because regular opener Rohit Sharma has been rested for this tour.
Ganguly said that a player like Rahane needs to know what his role is and how much he will be playing. “[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,” Ganguly added. “A free-minded Rahane will not only take his game a few notches higher but will also know about his importance in the squad.”
Another player who has impressed Ganguly during this tour is spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who leads the wicket-taking charts with six in two innings. “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,” Ganguly wrote.
“The Indian spinners looked a bit worn out on the flat pitches during the Champions Trophy and you need bowlers like Kuldeep in such situations where the pitch is not offering much help,” he added. “Kuldeep also has the ability to become an important cog in this Indian ODI squad because of the qualities he brings to the table.”
India lead the five-match ODI series 2-0, with the opening game having been washed away. India have not been tested at all in the two matches that produced results, with the visiting team’s margins of victory being 93 runs and 105 runs. Ganguly expects more of the same in the final two games.
“The way things are progressing, it will not be surprising if India wrap up the series 4-0.” he wrote. “There is nothing much to be spoken about the West Indian team and I don’t think any one expected that the current outfit would throw up any surprises in the series.”
Ganguly said that the decline of the West Indies, who failed to qualify for the recently concluded Champions Trophy, “is not a good advertisement for world cricket because their flair and charisma was a delight for all of us”. The former India captain added that the West Indian cricket officials “need to pull up their socks to reclaim their legacy” because “world cricket will only get poorer” without them.