India vs West Indies: Ajinkya Rahane next senior batter to be shown exit doors from Indian Test team?

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Ajinkya Rahane made a sensational comeback in the India Test team after a gap of almost 18 months by putting his body on the line and scoring 89 and 46 runs in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia in June.

His innings was hailed by all and the BCCI selectors immediately rewarded the 35-year-old by reappointing him as the vice-captain for the West Indies Test series. The move was rather surprising as the Mumbaikar was making a return after a long gap and he was not even give a Grade C central contract for the 2022-23 season.

At a time when Rahane should have encashed the opportunity against a lacklustre West Indian side, he has again put himself under the scanner by failing in both his outings in the Caribbean islands. In the only outing in the first Test match in Dominica, The right-hander batter got out for three when all the batters around him scored heavily.

In his last second and last outing on the tour which came during the first innings of the second Test, Rahane scored eight runs only. He was the only batter in the top seven to fall on a single digit score.

Will Ajinkya Rahane be dropped like Cheteshwar Pujara?

The transition phase in the Indian Test team has started. Yashasvi Jaiswal's arrival and Cheteshwar Pujara's ouster initiated the phase. The senior players will be phased out in a planned manner. Will Rahane become the second senior player to be shown the exit door.

The possibility cannot be ruled out. The returns of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul into the mix will create a huge pressure on Rahane. India's next Test series is in South Africa in December this year. Both these players are very likely to be fit and in the reckoning for the tough series.

However, selectors might just opt to keep Rahane in the squad alongside the likes of Iyer, Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad who is eagerly waiting for his chance. The South African conditions are one of the toughest to bat and the experience of Rahane could come handy. He averages 36.54 in South Africa after scoring 402 runs in six matches.

Even if Rahane is not included in the eleven, he is very likely to travel with the team as a senior player who can guide the youngsters and provide a solid back up. However, in case Rahane gets a go ahead of the youngsters and if he fails, his India career could end on that tour.