NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – With a “no-vacancy” sign plastered on India’s top order and his utility in the middle questioned by his own captain, Ajinkya Rahane suddenly finds his consistency with the bat means very little.
The 27-year-old Mumbai batsman has forced his way into the final 15 for next month’s World Twenty20 on home soil but is unlikely to play a major role in the hosts’ bid for a second 20-over World title under Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The left-right combination of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have locked up the opening slots, followed by batting mainstay Virat Kohli and limited overs specialist Suresh Raina.
An industrious accumulator in a lineup teeming with swashbuckling power-hitters, Rahane can only hope for a middle order slot but Dhoni, forthright as ever, has virtually dismissed the possibility.
Dhoni insists Rahane, as evident from his consistent performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 competition, is at his best as an opener and lacks the muscle power to excel as a lower-order slogger.