“I think he’s a fantastic player, and he’s got a proven track record. He’s done really well. I thought he’s been batting superbly. These things can happen in a T20 game sometimes. It’s not been that easy for top-order batsmen, this tournament has been pretty challenging. We know his quality, we know his ability, and he’s really well suited for these kind of conditions, these kind of pitches. He’s got a good all-around game. He’s got a very good strong back-foot game, which is obviously very much required in these conditions.” These are Rahul Dravid’s words. Why Rahul Dravid is still trusting Rahul is beyond me. It is onething to support your player when they are in lean form but it is quite another to support a player when he at best can contribute sporadically.
The Indian cricket team management is in a very difficult position. They are neither able to drop Rahul from the playing eleven nor are they able to cajole him into batting aggressively. The fact that he is the vice-captain and the defacto captain must not have any influence on cricketing logic. I have often said this. Rahul is not an opener. His ideal position is in the middle order.
His ideal position is down the order where he is free to hit. Rahul definitely has all the shots in the book. He is good of the frontfoot and the backfoot. He does not have any shortcoming with either spinners or fast bowlers. The problem is in his head. Having played for so long, it is unfortunate that Rahul has still not understood his game. If opening is the only slot where Rahul can fit, it really is a shame because he is not suited for that role.
Rahul hasn’t really been consistent
One can say that Rahul is the only batsman off late to have scored a hundred each in England and South Africa. Fair enough but has he been really consistent? The answer is a big fat No. Yes, he got those hundreds but what has been his performance otherwise? One might point to the fact that every batsman failed in South Africa and that includes Kohli. Ofcourse but whre are they now? Mayank Agarwal was dropped after that series and so was Pujara and Rahane. Kohli, we can all understand that despite his flops, he deserved every bit of support. What about Rahul? He hasn’t performed at the same level as Kohli. So why does he deserve such a long rope? It is hard to understand.
Rahul’s whining
Just before the Asia Cup, Rahul said,
“No one is perfect. No one in that dressing room is perfect. Everyone is working towards something. Everyone has a certain role to do. Obviously, strike rates are taken at an overall basis. You never see when that batsman has played at a certain strike rate, whether it was important for him to play at 200 strike rate or if the team could have still won playing at 100-120 strike rate. So these are the things that not everybody analyses. Or if you look at it, it looks slow.
“Yes, it is something that I am working at. Obviously, the roles that have been defined to each player in the last 10-12 months have been very clear. And the player understands what is expected of him, and the player is working towards it. Obviously, I am just working towards how I can better myself as an opening batter, and see how I can have the most impact for my team whenever I go out to play in the middle.”
He is clearly feeling the pressure of performing as an opener. He is hiding behind the assumption that it is not always necessary to be scoring at 200 strike rate because of his own incapability to do so. The point is that Rahul is someone who is capable of scoring at a high strike rate but is unwilling to do so. He says that he is practising to score at a higher rate but how long will he take to learn? More than 10 seasons of IPL and a lot of T20 games for India and yet, he says he is still working at it. He needs help and soon.
Pant is a better option to open
It will be better for India to replace Rahul with Pant. I know I have been a critic of Pant in the short formats but an unsure Rahul is a liability and I do not mind opening with Pant in T20. Pant is someone who thrives with field restriction. He will be able to get complete value for his shots which he will not when he plays down the order. Also, being a left-hander, him opening with Rohit will make the bowlers change their plan often. With Rahul and Rohit, the bowlers pretty well know what length and line to bowl. India will have to make complete use of its potential. Pant is a mercurial batsman. He can tear the attack apart or he can fall early. Either way, the bowlers will be wary and they will always have in the back of their minds what Pant is capable of.
Wrapping up Rahul Dravid is still trusting Rahul
It really is a shame that Rahul is thought about the future captain despite his inconsistency. The coach and the captain is having enormous amount of confidence on his ability but he has let them down consistently. Yet, the management does seem to learn their lesson. If at all they want to play Rahul, it must in the middle order and not as an opener in T20 and ODI. It is hard to believe that despite playing for more than 10 years, Rahul still hasn’t managed to establish himself and questions are still being asked.
He is plain lucky that the management and the selectors are not asking those questions and the inconsequential supporters are the ones who are asking.