Rohit Sharma, as everyone would acknowledge has cemented his place in the side as an opener with no previous experience at the position, putting in consistent contributions since moving to the top of the order.
On the other hand, Ajinkya Rahane, with a fair bit of knowledge as an opener albeit in a different format with Rajasthan Royals, has time and again responded in the right way at times he was asked to take first strike.
To add more into the debate, both are in prime form, having scored centuries against the touring Sri Lankans. Ambati Rayudu's maiden ODI ton has made things a bit trickier for selectors and team management. With no doubts whatsoever over the success rate and potentials of the two as openers, there comes the debate on who will be the better fit at No.4.
Aakash Chopra, former Indian cricketer turned media personnel, tweeted before Rayudu's ton:
Another thing to consider is the strike rate of these two as openers. Even though there were some criticism against Rohit for consuming too many deliveries in the mandatory powerplay regularly, there is not much difference in strike rates between these Mumbai stars.
India openers in numbers since 2011 World Cup final:
Rohit, one of only three double centurions in the ODI format strikes at 78.71 compared to Rahane's 80.01. Notably, the Mumbai Indians skipper boasts a creditable average of 46.34 in 36 innings. His teammate has only managed his 901 runs at a modest average of 32.17.
Hence, MS Dhoni will have to think twice before altering his first choice batting order. Considering the fact that Rayudu was a reserve batsman and the first choice players has not done any harm to lose their places in the XI, we have no option but to keep the Hyderbadi player on the bench.
Coming back to the topic, with the conditions Down Under expected to be seamer friendly and pacy, having a technically strong batsman in the middle order who can hold one end up is very important. That line only adds more confusion into the issue as both are equally good. Also, the fact that both these are right handed cancels out any thin line of difference among them.
However, there is one: playing style and scoring areas. With the new ball, Rohit is leaving as many deliveries as possible off late and will come up with a release shot when things get very slower. Towards the end, he can even outpace some power hitters as we have seen him do that more often in IPL.
On the other hand, Rahane can rebuild an innings pretty well as the new ball could produce wickets almost every time in Australia and New Zealand. With some world class finishers like Suresh Raina (of course he is now) and MS Dhoni at 5 and 6, India should definitely need some who could absorb pressure.
I'm not saying that Rohit is an easy victim to pressure, but will tend to clear the ropes more often ending up with soft dismissals. Rahane can be a bit more sensible and will not attack the pacers in the middle overs, unless there is no other option or in a dire situation. That can come in handy than to go in power packed middle order as Aakash Chopra suggested.
Moreover, I personally feel that you should not change the batting position of some one who finds himself in last year's ICC ODI team (12th man). If Rohit could not produce desired results in the upcoming bilateral series against Australia, only then should India turn to Rahane.
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