Ajinkya Rahane a sight to behold even in the crudest format of the game

James Astill had this to say about T20 cricket in his book The Great Tamasha: “The problem with T20 is not, as some purists gripe, that it is not cricket. It is absolutely cricket. It is played on the same pitch, with the same implements, and features many of the same batting strokes, bowling deliveries and fielding positions as any other form of the game. As the closest thing to street-cricket…T20, you might even argue, is somehow real cricket. But this does not make it very good.”

Sticklers for longer format of the game might concur with his views, but one in the congenial confines of the T20 arena can counter that last sentence of Astill’s by brandishing Ajinkya Rahane’s amblings. In possession of a frame that is not designed to hoick the ball out of the biggest stadia, just like a bumblebee whose body theoretically mustn’t allow flight, and despite housing a technique modelled to hold him in good stead for only Test cricket, Rahane has been a sight to savour in cricket’s arguably coarse format. READ: Ajinkya Rahane enjoying his batting for Rajasthan Royals

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What’s alluring is that Rahane can be a delight to watch in all three versions of the sport. It is said numbers don’t often reveal the whole truth — and that is a fact in most cases — but Rahane’s strike-rates in each of the formats provide a brief insight of his adaptability. It is also a sign of impending longevity. Many a cricketer has tried to be resourceful regardless of the format he is playing, but few have been evenly proficient. Like Sisyphus — the king who was condemned to the eternal task of rolling a large stone to the top of a hill, from which it always rolled down — they were hapless. But Rahane is cut from a different fabric.

It’s not the first time he’s oscillated between Test, One-Day International (ODI) and T20 cricket and still found his niche seamlessly. Rahane was one of Rajasthan Royals’ (RR’s) linchpins in 2013, amassing runs during the process of which he plundered three consecutive fifties. In that same year, he averaged 43 in Tests. Two years later, he’s the mainstay in all flannels. In the current edition, although early days, he is way ahead of the cluster having a good run themselves. He has already notched three consecutive fifties, averaging 61, and at this rate has the chance of usurping the highest run-scorer of all time in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

There is nothing scruffy about a Rahane innings. Most good fiction writers vouch that they never wholly commit to a story’s ending because it takes away from the charm of a piquant tale. Although they have a blueprint of what’s to be penned, most of the writing is spontaneous. Watching Rahane bat gives a similar impression: like a nifty artist, there is no saying how his willow will be wielded until the ball is in its final lap, but the end product is sure to captivate; and at most times mesmerise. It is true of his batsmanship in all formats.

There are two cases in point of Rahane’s versatility, for instance, that can be deduced from RR’s recent game against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). One was a cut behind point when the same delivery would usually have been pushed between cover and the mid-off fielder by ones with lesser repertoire. The other was when he fetched a ball from outside the off-stump to deposit it over deep square-leg to reach his fifty. A similar strike ensued off a slower ball from Mitchell Johnson just minutes before he shut shop on 74.

A man concocted to thrive in Test cricket has 23 half-centuries and a ton in T20s. There’s plenty more to come. It is true Rahane is yet to prove his calibre in demolishing a bowling unit towards the end of an innings, but to expect that of a batsman who opens in T20s, albeit consistently churning out scores over 40 at a quick rate, is unfair. He does his job, but if ever he’s in a situation where utter dominance is the only way, Rahane does not genuflect. In six IPL games this year he’s already scored over 300 runs. His team has won five of the six games — their only defeat coming from a Super Over loss to KXIP. Rahane’s role thus far is unmissable; his part if RR are to stay at the top not ignorable. He’s regarded a senior in the side — “Ajinkya bhai was making me understand what to do. The pressure was mounting and he told me to hit those deliveries coming in my range and I did just that,” said Deepak Hooda, the young architect of RR’s win over Delhi Daredevils (DD).

T20 may be a crude sport, but a lotus blooms despite the grubby underneaths. Rahane’s elegance and maturity shines through in this format.

(Karthik Parimal, a Correspondent with CricketCountry, is a cricket aficionado and a worshipper of the game. He idolises Steve Waugh and can give up anything, absolutely anything, just to watch a Kumar Sangakkara cover drive. He can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/kartikparimal)