South Africa vs India 2018: 4 reasons why Ajinkya Rahane should replace Rohit Sharma for 2nd Test

There is no denying the fact that Ajinkya Rahane has loads of talent. He has scored runs almost everywhere around the globe and has been hugely impressive for Team India, especially in the Test format.

However, the only issue with the Mumbaikar has been his inconsistency; he has been in and out of the limited-overs side due to this; recently he was even dropped from the Test side for the first Test against South Africa.

Although he has been in poor form in the Test format, he should still be given a chance by the management, ahead of Rohit Sharma.

Here are four reasons which justify Rahane's place in the side ahead of Rohit.

Note: All the stats are accurate as of 7 January 2018.

Performance outside the subcontinent

Rahane is certainly more experienced among the two and has been an integral part of the Indian Test team since his debut in 2013. He has played 43 Test matches, 17 of them being outside the subcontinent; on the contrary, Rohit Sharma has played only 11 (out of 23) matches outside the subcontinent.

Rahane's strong numbers support his inclusion, with his career average of 44 jumping to 55 outside the subcontinent. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma's career average of around 42 drops to a weak 24 outside the subcontinent.

These stats clearly suggest that Rohit has struggled outside the subcontinent while Rahane has taken his game to a higher level.

Ajinkya Rahane is the vice-captain

Ajinkya Rahane has great leadership skills in the longest format

Although the vice-captain is not as celebrated a post as the captain, he is still an important part of a team and Ajinkya Rahane has been great as Kohli's deputy. He has been an important decision-maker, helping his skipper on the field.

He showcased his leadership prowess when he captained the side against Australia in Dharamsala and helped Team India win a close series against the Kangaroos in early 2017.

Rohit Sharma's struggles against strong bowling units

Rohit Sharma has struggled against strong bowling lineups in Tests

Rohit Sharma is one of the most talented players around, and is perhaps among the greatest openers in limited-overs cricket. But it is quite evident that the right-handed batsman has struggled in the longest format, especially against quality bowling lineups. He has scored more than half of his total career runs in 13 innings (he has played a total of 40 innings) against weaker bowling lineups like Sri Lanka and West Indies.

Ajinkya Rahane, meanwhile, has played most of his Test cricket (51 innings out of 73) against the top 6 teams in the Test format and has performed quite well, considering he has scored 1951 runs out of 2826 runs against them.

Rahane's impressive record against South Africa

Ajinkya Rahane has a terrific record against South Africa

Ajinkya Rahane boasts an impressive record against South Africa, both in India and in South Africa.

Rahane has scored a total of 475 runs against South Africa in 10 innings at a healthy average of 59 which includes the two centuries he hit in a single game at Delhi, and a fighting 96 which he hit in 2013 at Durban.

The last time India toured South Africa, Rahane accumulated 209 runs in four innings at an average around 70.

On the contrary, Rohit Sharma has hit only 82 runs against South Africa in a total of nine innings, numbers that don't warrant a place in the side.