Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara - Now or Never !!

Post the victorious limited overs campaigns in England and West Indies, India are all set to embark on a tour to Zimbabwe with a relatively young and inexperienced side. While such a tour demands justification considering that the national team plays virtually non-stop throughout the year, it presents a one-of-a kind opportunity for fringe players looking to cement a place in the senior India squad and subsequently be in the scheme of things for 2015 World Cup. 

Looking back at the team selected for the five-match series, there are two players who will be viewing this tour as a make or break case. The quality of the opposition notwithstanding, an impressive performance here will undoubtedly force the selectors to have a harder look at the current batting order of the senior team, however failure could well see them lose their place forever. Yes, we are talking about Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara.

The importance of performing in the international arena cannot be better understood than by a certain Ajinkya Rahane. Before his debut in the Delhi Test in the 2013 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rahane had been a part of the Indian squad for an astonishing five consecutive series, dating back to November 2011 against West Indies - without getting a look in.

During that period, India had won three series and lost two, including at home against England. As many as seven players made their debut during this period even as Rahane started being labelled as the "permanent drinks-fetcher and substitute fielder" by the media.

Before this however, Rahane had forced his way into the Indian ODI team on the back of a stupendous record in domestic cricket, but failed to cash in on the opportunities he got at the international level courtesy a generous captain. 

Rahane played 16 ODIs since making his debut against England in 2011, amassing 404 runs, at a disappointing average of 25.

He started off on a good note, scoring 40 and 54 in his first two ODIs in England, but thereafter found it difficult to score on a consistent basis. He slammed 91 against England at Mohali in October 2011, but since then accumulated a mere 126 runs in eight innings before finally getting the axe.

And in an irony of sorts, his spot has since been taken over by a former middle-order batsman and his Mumbai teammate Rohit Sharma. While Rahane gets his opportunity this time albeit as a middle-order batsman, he will do well to fathom that seizing this golden opportunity will only happen if he performs on a consistent basis and scores big, even if against the lowly attack of Zimbabwe.

Another player who will look to stake a claim in the first choice ODI team is Cheteshwar Pujara. The tour to Zimbabwe finally allows the Saurashtra run machine to make his ODI debut for India. Despite being amongst the best batting talents to have emerged from the slippery rungs of India's domestic cricket ladder in recent times, it is highly unfortunate that Pujara has been labelled as a proverbial 'Test Match' specialist. His good showing in the Tests coupled with his ability to play marathon innings in the longer version of the game have gone against him when it comes to the limited overs format of the game.

But Pujara has time and again dispelled the notion of being a slowcoach by scoring runs at a brisk pace. During the Test series against Australia, Pujara hammered 419 runs at an average of 83, with an equally impressive strike rate of 62. He further plundered the Australian attack in the second innings of the fourth Test in Delhi by scoring 82 from 92 balls, thereby putting to rest his inability to score quick runs when needed.

It is no secret that flamboyance in the current batting order has paid rich dividends for the men in blue. On slow wickets (uncharacteristic English wickets included), the team can get away with a line-up full of stroke players; but in conditions akin to Australia and New Zealand (slated to jointly co-host the 2015 World Cup) which are known for their fast and bouncy wickets, Pujara's role will be as important as Rahul Dravid's was in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.

The upcoming tour therefore gives him the ideal platform to impress upon the selectors that his batsmanship is not restricted to any particular format. Pujara in all probability is expected to bat at No. 4, serving the role of sheet-anchor and technical fulcrum around which the batting will revolve.

With Dinesh Karthik failing to nail down his place in a full-strength middle order, the game of cat and mouse has begun for a couple of positions in the batting order. Those who rise to the occasion are sure to reap rich dividends in the future.