Injured Ajinkya Rahane doubtful for ODIs and T20Is against England

A day before the start of the fourth Test against England at Mumbai, India received a major blow as vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane was ruled out of the last two Tests due to a finger injury and Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey was called in as a replacement. Now, it has been revealed that the Mumbaikar might miss the three-match ODI and T20I series against England.

According to reports in Times of India, “Ajinkya Rahane's finger injury, which has ruled him out of the last two Tests against England, has also put him in serious doubt for the ODI and Twenty20 series against the same opponents.”

Rahane suffered an avulsion fracture on his right index finger after getting hit by a bouncer during a practice session on the eve of the Mumbai Test.

After the end of the fifth and final Test at Chennai on December 20, the visitors will have a 25-day break as they travel back home to be with their families during Christmas and New Year before they come back to India to take part in the ODI and T20I series.

India will play England in three ODIs and three T20Is beginning on January 15 next year in Pune. India’s star ODI batsman Rohit Sharma is already out of the series due to a thigh injury he sustained during the fifth and final ODI against New Zealand at Vizag. In his absence, Rahane was set to get a longer run to bat at the top of the order.

An injury to Rahane means that KL Rahul is expected to open the innings with Shikhar Dhawan in the shorter formats. The series against England would have been an ideal platform for Rahane to seal his spot in the playing XI ahead of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.

Rahane is one of India’s pillars of strength in the longer formats, but when it comes to the limited overs format, Rahane’s place in the team is yet to be cemented. Skipper MS Dhoni has often pointed out Rahane’s inability to keep the scorecard ticking in the middle overs and that adds a lot of pressure to the batsmen at the other end.

Rahane has been one of India’s best Test batsmen this year as he has accumulated 653 runs in 10 Tests at an average of 54.41. He has been struggling against the Poms as he scored just 63 runs in five innings in the ongoing series.