Onus on Kohli and Shastri to solve Rahane puzzle, says Rohit Sharma ahead of New Zealand series

Ajinkya Rahane had opened the batting for India and hit four half centuries on the trot in the ODI series against Australia in the absence of regular opener Shikhar Dhawan. But on Sunday, when India face New Zealand in the first One-Day International, the team leadership group will face another tough call over including the Mumbai batsman in the playing XI, and if so, at which position, considering Dhawan has returned to the squad.

Vice-captain Rohit Sharma on Friday put the onus on skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri, adding that he personally felt Rahane had “performed well” in the opportunities that have come his way.

“See, I have no idea about that where he (Rahane) will be batting,” Sharma told reporters after India’s first training session at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday. “Yes, Shikhar is back, but speaking of Rahane, he’s probably grabbed all his opportunities in the last few series that he has played. Now it’s on the captain and the coach, what they want and where they want him to bat.”

“A couple of series back the captain came and spoke that he considered him (Rahane) as an opening batsman and I don’t know if Kohli wants him to bat at four again. That will be completely his call. If he feels that we need someone like Rahane batting at four in this particular team right now. I don’t know if that will happen. It’s very unclear. We have to wait and see,” Sharma added.

“It only shows that the strength of this team is so vast that anyone can come in at any time and take the position. So we all have to be on our toes and keep performing the way we have in the last few years.”

‘Will pick up from where we left off against Australia’

Sharma added that his team was confident of replicating its recent performance against Australia in the upcoming three-match ODI series with the visiting Kiwis.

“They (Kiwis) had a couple of good practice games here. They got used to the conditions I’m sure about it. But yes, it will depend on how we start and what we want to do as a team. We would like to (continue) from where we left against Australia,” Sharma said.

“We would like to continue to do that and the good thing is, there is hardly been any time between the Australia series and the New Zealand series, so guys are in their grooves. I hope we put up the same performance as we did in the last series against Australia,” he added.

Sharma though admitted that “every new series has its own challenge”, he said: “The greatest strength of this team is that we treat each series at it comes. Every opposition have their own strengths and weaknesses. So the challenge for us will be to adapt to that opposition quickly.

“We played against Australia (and won 4-1) and they had different team dynamics. New Zealand has different team dynamics. So the strategies will revolve according to that.”

‘Not a lot different from last year’

Sharma, who was the top run-getter against the Australia with 296 runs at just over 59 per innings including one hundred and two fifties, said that the team’s strategies won’t change much from the last year, when they defeated New Zealand 3-2 in a five-match series.

“We played these guys last year in India, during a similar time and their team is also more or less very similar to what we played. As far as the strategies and planning is concerned, it won’t change much from last time around,” said the 30-year-old Mumbai batsman.

Happy with his personal form, Sharma said he has now got into the train and does not want to get down.

“You feel good when you score runs, the last few years especially it’s been really good. So in that space I am quite happy right now, but the hunger (for runs) will never go, you will take every series as an opportunity and go out and perform the same. For me, every series I play, I feel it is the first game of my career. I want to keep going.”

Stating that his role in the team hasn’t changed much after becoming deputy to captain Virat Kohli, Sharma said: “It has not changed much. It’s very similar to what it used to be before. For me as a vice captain there is a responsibility. There is something I look forward to going onto the field, contributing not with just a bat, but also with insight in important thoughts to the captain. I don’t think that has changed much and I don’t want it to change too much.”

‘Kuldeep, Chahal not afraid of making tactical changes’

Sharma heaped praise on the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal for not being afraid of making tactical changes and adapting to match situations.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep and orthodox leggie Chahal had performed well against Australia, and they will once again be in focus as the New Zealand series begins.

The 22-year-old Kuldeep, from Kanpur, grabbed nine wickets in the ODI series against Australia while Haryana-born Chahal picked up seven wickets in the same series.

“They’ve definitely grown from the last time they made their way into the team till now. I think there has been immense improvement in their confidence. They just go out there and do their thing and they are not afraid of making tactical changes,” said Rohit when asked how much have the duo grown in stature.

He said both Chahal and Kuldeep have adapted according to the conditions and match situations.

“They are not afraid to flight the ball and go for wickets, which is important in this format, especially because they bowl in middle overs. The grounds are not so big here, and sometimes you will be in two minds whether you want to flight the ball or restrict the opposition. But they understand the game,” Rohit said.

“And if they feel that they should not go for wickets, just try and restrict, bowl a few dot balls and create pressure, they are ready to do that as well.”

Kuldeep entered the record books by becoming the third Indian to take a hat-trick in ODIs, when he achieved the feat against Australia in Kolkata to follow the footsteps of Kapil Dev and Chetan Sharma.

“For us as a team, we really rely on those two guys to do the job in the middle overs. And they have done exceedingly well in the last series. We saw that it was pretty evident that whenever the ball was given to them, they came up with some or the other tactical plan and got rid of their set batsman which is very important,” said Rohit.

Rohit also pointed out how well Kuldeep and Chahal complemented each other.

“The best is, like I said, they complement each other. They share their tactics and what one feels about his bowling. And they have spoken about that I think. And they do that while they bowl. So it gives them confidence,” he said.

The star Mumbai batsman said that from now on the spin duo would only grow as they play more matches.

“So, in their bowling they are quite versatile. That’s something that I have noticed. And it will come only with confidence. And like I said, the more matches they play, they will keep growing as players,” he said.