India Sacrificed ‘Nice-Guy’ Ajinkya Rahane at No. 3, Says Sunil Gavaskar

India’s decision to send Ajinkya Rahane at the crucial number three position in the second Test against Sri Lanka drew sharp reactions from Sunil Gavaskar, who felt it was a harsh move. Rahane, who usually bats at No. 5, walked in after the fall of Murali Vijay, only to be dismissed for four.
India were tottering at 12/2 in helpful conditions for seamers before a hundred by Lokesh Rahul and half-centuries by skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit helped the hosts resurrect and reach stumps at 319/6 on Day 1 at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo.
Rahane has been one of the most consistent batsmen for India in Test cricket after a horror debut in 2013. But the team’s inability to find a suitable No. 3 has forced the management to resort to trial and error methods.
Cheteshwar Pujara’s short-lived success was followed by Rohit Sharma in an even briefer stay. On Thursday, with the first Test lost in a three-match series, Rahane was sent up the order to perhaps create some kind of stability. But Gavaskar was not impressed.
“It (Rahane batting at No. 3) was sacrificing a good man, a man who will take everything that the team dishes out at him. He is one of those nice guys who can be shoved around. He has been pushed at No. 3 even though he had success batting at No. 5,” Gavaskar told PTI from Colombo.
“But he will do the job at No. 3 because he is from the Rahul Dravid school of cricket — he will do everything the team asks of him, just the way Dravid did. He is Rahane’s mentor.”
Gavaskar feels the solution to India’s No. 3 problem is Kohli pushing himself up the order. “If Kohli can push himself to No. 3, the line-up sorts itself out. Rahane at 4 and Rohit at 5 is perfect.”
India’s batting has been a major concern over the last several overseas tours. Barring Kohli and to some extent Rahane and Vijay, the others struggled in Australia. Now, Shikhar Dhawan has been forced out of the Sri Lanka Test series due to an injury.
But Gavaskar sees hope only if the team manages to find the perfect batting order. The former India skipper in fact said No. 5 was perfect for Rohit.
“Rohit did not get a hundred but it was a career-defining knock for him. A lower number is better for Rohit,” said Gavaskar.