MUMBAI: For a team which had its No 10 and No 11 batsmen — Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande — scoring centuries in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal win over Baroda — batting shouldn’t be a worry. However, that’s not exactly the case with Mumbai, as their captain Ajinkya Rahane, who was out for just 3 & 0 in the last match, bowled in both innings by left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt, is perhaps enduring the worst form of his career, having made just 115 runs in six matches at an average of 12.77 in the Ranji Trophy this season.
While he has led the team well, Rahane — a pale shadow of a man who stroke a match-deciding century against Australia in the MCG Test while captaining India to a famous win in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar series in Australia — must somehow dust off this forgettable run and start making his vast experience and class count at this stage.
