To think of leaving Rahane out from the ODI side will be a blunder: Sourav Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes that it would be a big mistake to not pick Ajinkya Rahane in the ODI side, despite him not being a big boundary hitter unlike a few others in the team. Critics have begun to question Rahane’s ability in the limited overs format due to his recent poor performances. The 28-year-old right-hander, one of India’s most successful test batsmen in recent times, has been struggling to get going in this series having scored only 33, 28 and 5. Ganguly, however, the team should not be bothered about his form and he needs to be given time.

“He is not a boundary-hitter. He needs a bit of time and then keeps hitting deliveries in the gap. To think of leaving him out from the ODI side will be an absolute blunder by the team. I don’t think Rahane’s place is in doubt. He is a bit like Rahul Dravid. When Dravid came in, he struggled with his run-rate. He got a role and that’s what the team management needs to do with Rahane,” Ganguly told India Today.

What will also work in Rahane’s favour is the fact that ahead of the second ODI in Delhi last week, head coach Anil Kumble shrugged off all doubts about the opener’s slots, stating that Rahane will open in the remaining ODIs against New Zealand.

“At the moment he fits at the top of the order and that’s something that we will persist with. It does give us an option once Dhawan and Rahul are fit, but we will probably look at that after the Test series against England. but in this ODI series, Rahane is definitely going to open the batting and then, later on, looking at the Champions Trophy, we will how the order shapes up then,” Kumble had said.

With the backing of the team management, it is now time for Rahane to fire and he will be hoping to do that in the fourth ODI against the Kiwis in Ranchi on Wednesday.