Will Ajinkya Rahane be benched after his inconsistent run?
Ajinkya Rahane's dismissal in the second innings of the World Test Championship (WTC) final all but dented India's hopes of a snatching a win or even salvaging a draw against New Zealand. It also added to his list of recent failures, making the first innings knock of 49 a flash in the pan. Rahane might be the side's vice-captain, but his inconsistent run with the bat could force the Indian think-tank to look beyond the Mumbai batsman. It shouldn't come as a surprise if the side bench him for the all-important five-match Test series against England starting August 4. At first glace, dropping Rahane might appear to be detrimental to India's plans. The batsman has a good record against England, scoring 731 runs from 17 matches with five fifties and a hundred. Adding to this is the experience he brings to the table. All said and done, although India have the bench strength with some solid options in KL Rahul and Hanuma Vihari, Virat Kohli will be keen to give Rahane another shot to prove his mettle. If Rahul or Vihari do indeed come in, it would be to bolster their batting department that faltered miserably in the WTC final. If Rahane warms the bench, Rohit Sharma will most likely take over the vice-captaincy. Ajinkya Rahane has already fallen out of favor in the limited formats. Strong technique, mental fortitude and the adaptability that he is known for has fluctuated for quite some time now. A couple of good knocks is just what he needs to push his case for an extended run in a side that has competition knocking on the door constantly. Expert opinion: 'Ajinkya Rahane isn't the same player he once was'  Former Indian wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta shed light on Ajinkya Rahane's inconsistency. In a video on his YouTube channel, Dasgupta explained why he feels Ajinkya Rahane was a lot more confident as a batter in 2015-16 than he is now. "I don't think Rahane is the same player that he was. In 2015-16, Rahane was unbelievable. He was a player that I saw playing for Mumbai. The Wankhede pitch on the first morning was moist, the pitch had grass and it was a nightmare batting there those days. But Rahane scored more than 4000-4500 runs before playing for India, batting predominantly at No.3 position," said Deep Dasgupta. Edited by Parimal Dagdee