Ajinkya Rahane averages just over 33 since the beginning of 2018 in Test cricket, which has led to repeated calls among fans and experts for his ouster.

Rahane had a fine start to his Test career, making four fifties and two hundreds in his first 15 innings. The middle-order batter, who made his debut in 2013, averaged over 40 every calendar year until 2016, after which the returns became inconsistent. Since 2017, Rahane has averaged more than 40 only once, and less than 35 thrice (excluding 2022).

Rahane’s Test career in the last few years has followed a pattern that is hard to ignore: a string of low scores that cause doubt over his place in the XI is almost always silenced with a crucial knock from the former vice-captain. However, the consistency tends to desert him, and the cycle is repeated all over again.

After a poor 2021, where he averaged just over 20 in the format, Rahane led India’s revival with a fine 58 in the second innings at Johannesburg, which could prove to be instrumental in keeping the other options at bay.

We take a look at some of the important knocks played by the cricketer after a prolonged period of no-show, which just about helped him retain his place in the side after questions were being asked.

132 v Sri Lanka, 2017, Colombo

Rahane’s last hundred had come almost ten months ago, against New Zealand at Indore in 2016. Since the knock, the right-hander had scored three fifties in 17 innings, with 12 scores of less than 30 in the interim. The pressure was well and truly on Rahane, but he silenced naysayers with a match-winning 132 against Sri Lanka at Colombo.

Batting first, India notched up a mammoth 622-9 declared, courtesy tons from Cheteshwar Pujara and Rahane. India did not need to bat again in the game, as they won by an innings and 53 runs to take an unassailable lead in the series, and the focus was shifted away from Rahane, if only for a while.

81 v England, Nottingham, 2018

Following his century against Sri Lanka, Rahane did not manage a single fifty in the next 13 innings. The period was one of the worst for him statistically, as he registered knocks of 17, 4, 0, 2, 1, 10, 9, 48, 10, 15, 2, 18, and 13 before the Test match at Nottingham. With India dropping Pujara for the first Test of the series against England, Rahane was expected to be next in the firing line, but a crucial 81 not only helped save him from scrutiny but also allowed India to fight back after being 0-2 down in the series.

At 82-3, India were in a spot of bother before Rahane combined with Virat Kohli to take the score to 241. He started off cautiously before teeing off, hitting 12 fours in his 131-ball knock, which helped India to post 329 in the first innings.

England were all out for 161 and eventually lost the match by 203 runs. Rahane also made a patient 29 off 94 balls in the second innings of the Test match.

81 and 102 v West Indies, North Sound, 2019

The 81 at Nottingham was followed by yet another frustrating patch from Rahane. From the third Test match against England till the start of the first Test against West Indies in August 2019, Rahane made 29, 11, 51, 0, 37, 41, 80, 13, 70, 51, 30, 34, 1, and 18. His inability to convert his starts to big scores was a sign of worry, but he was at his best against West Indies, scoring 81 and 102 in the first Test to end with the Player of the Match award.

Walking in to bat at 25-3 in the first innings, Rahane held one end up, scoring an important 81 in tough conditions to ensure his side posted 297 on the board. In the second innings, too, India were in a spot of bother, losing their first three wickets for 81 runs, before Rahane bailed India out with his first century since his ton against Sri Lanka in 2017.

112 v Australia, Melbourne, 2020

A knock that went on to change the course of India’s campaign Down Under in 2020/2021. Reeling from the lows of 36 all out, and without regular skipper Kohli, Rahane had to lead from the front to bring back the confidence that seemed to be missing in the Indian camp.

The player, who had scored a combined 133 runs in Tests in 2020 prior to the Boxing Day Test match at the MCG, was not in the best rhythm either, but he managed to pull up his game when it mattered the most, striking a hundred that was much-needed for him and the team.

61 v England, Lord’s, 2021

Rahane’s 61 at Lord’s is often lost among the brilliance of Mohammed Siraj and the batting efforts of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, but it had an equally important role to play in India’s win.

The player’s form had fizzled out after the ton at MCG, he had just two scores of over 40 in the next 15 innings, but just as questions were circling around his role in the side, he top-scored in India’s second innings at Lord’s to set them up for a win. India had conceded a first innings lead and were down at 55-3 in the second innings before Rahane rescued the side with a 146-ball 61 to help set up the win.