'He has almost got a signal 'we're not too sure about you'' - Experts decode Ajinkya Rahane's demotion at The Oval

The first day of The Oval Test caught many people by surprise after India lost their third wicket in the form of Cheteshwar Pujara, as Ravindra Jadeja walked out to bat instead of the Indian vice-captain and designated No. 5 batter Ajinkya Rahane.

While Rahane’s performance with the bat in the recent past has not been too promising, Jadeja’s batting stocks have risen quite in the opposite direction, with the left-hander having scored 143 runs in the current series already, which includes a half-century. That said, most people including cricket experts and commentators were left baffled by the rare occurrence of Jadeja being promoted to No. 5, in what was only the second instance of him batting at that position in his 81-Test career.

Although, India’s ploy did not return good results as Jadeja was undone by Chris Waokes for just 10 after Lunch. His promotion ahead of Rahane remained to be a discussion point throughout the day, with different experts trying to decode the reason behind India’s unexpected tactics.

Experts’ take on Ajinkya Rahane’s demotion

“I don’t know the reason. I heard the debate over whether Ajinkya went to the loo. But Jadeja was ready, so he must have been told. So, it was more a tactical move,” Hussain told Sony Sports during Lunch on Day 1. “They must have wanted a left-hander in. He is a very fine player. He has got 3 triple hundreds in first-class cricket. The balance of the side still looks a little wonky in England.”

“Ajinkya Rahane came in and sat and put on his gloves. He may have been on a toilet break. Maybe they didn’t want to send Pant. Maybe he has been demoted down the order. Jadeja has batted longer in this series than Pant,” Sunil Gavaskar said on the Sony Sports Network.

“I am just thinking what Ajinkya Rahane is going through. One of your best batsmen, vice-captain of the side. Even before he has walked in, it’s like Rahane has almost got a signal, saying ‘we’re not too sure about you’,” Ajay Jadeja said on the Sony Sports Network.

“It could be the left-hander combination but I am just thinking in terms of someone who is uncertain with not a lot of runs. Before you walk in, you have got Ravindra walking ahead of you and there will be some time, whenever he walks in, he is going to be thinking about it,” Jadeja added further.

“Maybe it was step taken to force the England bowlers to alter their line and length against a left-hander. And if the reason is something else then it’s not a good sign for India. The conditions are favouring swing and troubling the right-handers, so send in Jadeja at No. 5; which we usually see in the shorter formats. The right-hand and left-hand combination often troubles a bowler, so may be to introduce that format in Tests as well,” Virender Sehwag said.