‘Didn’t see that coming’ – Twitterati confused as Ravindra Jadeja comes ahead of Ajinkya Rahane to bat in 4th Test

Ajinkya Rahane has been short of runs lately.

By Gaurav Tripathi

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Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja
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Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

With India suffering a humiliating innings defeat in the third Test at Headingley, many expected to see some changes in their batting line-up. Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane was most likely to face the axe as his recent performances have been nothing but below par. Although the veteran batsman retained his place for the fourth Test, he has surprisingly been demoted in the batting order.

Rahane, who has been India’s designated number five for a while in Tests, didn’t come out to bat after India lost their third wicket while batting first in the fourth Test at the Kennington Oval. Instead, Ravindra Jadeja emerged from the Indian camp to tackle the England bowlers. It was indeed a surprising move as the southpaw has mostly batted lower order in the Test matches.

Moreover, Rahane, who hasn’t done well lately, still boasts of a staggering record in Test matches. Hence, fans and experts found it hard to decode India’s strategy behind the bizarre move. If one comes to think of that, Jadeja’s batting form might have prompted the decision. The southpaw has done well with the bat series and even scored an impressive half-century.

Ravindra Jadeja has three triple-centuries in First-Class cricket

It also must be noted that India doesn’t have any left-handed batter in the top order. This also might be a reason behind Jadeja’s promotion. One must also not forget that the veteran all-rounder has as many as three triple-centuries in First-Class cricket. Hence, England bowlers can’t afford to breathe easy against him.

Meanwhile, the five-match series is currently poised at 1-1 after the first three games. Hence, the winner of the fourth game would take an unassailable 2-1 lead. The toss landed in England’s favour and Joe Root put India to bat first. While the openers tackle the new ball with precision in the first few overs, Rohit Sharma’s dismissal turned the tide in England’s favour.

KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara also fell prey cheaply as the visitors were reduced to 39/3. Nevertheless, skipper Virat Kohli joined forces with India’s new-number five, Jadeja, and the duo made sure India don’t lose any wickets at lunch on Day 1. However, the duo has a job in hand to bring India back in the hunt.

Meanwhile, let’s look at how Twitterati reacted to Ajinkya Rahane’s demotion:

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