Rahane is scratchy and low on confidence, says Sourav Ganguly
© Getty Images
Ajinkya Rahane has been one of the most consistent batsmen for India over the past few years but has struggled for form following the New Zealand series, and Sourav Ganguly attributed it to a lack of confidence. Rahane has scored just 223 runs in seven matches against England and Australia.
Rahane is among the few current Indian batsmen to have proved their worth in testing conditions abroad. In 21 Tests overseas, Rahane has scored 1588 runs at an average of 51.22. However, his performances at home pale in comparison, aggregating only 954 runs in 16 Tests.
The 28-year-old started the long home season in style, scoring 347 runs in three matches against New Zealand, since then, however, his form has been erratic, to say the least - 63 runs in three Tests against England, 110 in the one-off Test against Bangladesh and just 160 runs against Australia so far are well below his usually lofty standards.
"Ajinkya Rahane is scratchy. It is not the Rahane we have seen over a long period of time. Think about the Rahane at Lord's (2013) where it was seaming, decking, bouncing and he just batted as if it was a different track," Ganguly told India Today.
"Imagine his hundreds in Australia. He is just a bit out of the place at the moment, maybe mentally... the confidence has gone down a bit because he hasn't had a good series against England."
While the former Indian captain admitted that Rahane's form was less than ideal, he did give the Mumbaikar his vote of confidence adding that after the series he would need to "get his mind back on track."
"He hasn't had a good series so far by his standards. So, his confidence level is down a bit and you can see that in his batting. I think it is not the Rahane but he is surviving, he is trying hard, he is competing...typical Mumbai
