Will Ajinkya Rahane finally make his Test debut?

Ajinkya Rahane’s long wait for his Test debut should ideally end at Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla ground where India seek to whitewash the hapless Australians in the fourth and final Test.

Shikhar Dhawan didn’t take the field or bat after jamming his knuckles while fielding in the Mohali Test. Rahane must have sensed that his time was round the corner. The Test cap has been eluding him for quite sometime now.

But late on Tuesday, the selectors named Suresh Raina as Dhawan’s replacement. Gautam Gambhir was considered, too, but was left out after being diagnosed with jaundice, said a BCCI press release.

After clinching the series in Mohali, Dhoni hinted at trying a “few things in Delhi but it is important to win all Tests.” Rahane had a reason to be optimistic.

The late inclusion of Raina could change the dynamics at Kotla. What if Dhoni opts for the same batting order that fashioned a successful chase in Mohali? It would be travesty of justice should Raina, who hitherto has been in the reserves, get the nod ahead of Rahane. Remember India’s tour of England in 2011. RP Singh was flown in as Zaheer Khan’s replacement and he clearly looked undercooked.

India’s next Test assignment is against South Africa in November-December. Taking Rahane on that tour with an experience of one Test is better than not giving him an exposure at all.  Strangely enough, Sandeep Patil & Co have bracketed Rahane as only a middle-order batsman.
Rahane has opened for Mumbai, and it’s only in the last few years that he has batted at three for his state.  Now, with Dhawan out of action for six weeks, it is only fair to reward Rahane for his remarkable consistency in domestic cricket. Unless, of course, Dhoni pulls off a surprise at Kotla.

Squad for Delhi Test: MS Dhoni (C & WK), Murali Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Ashok Dinda, Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina

@DNA