When India return to playing Test match cricket after that bit of limited-overs fun with England, Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble will have one major decision to make in terms of selecting the playing XI for the one-off Test match against Bangladesh in Hyderabad – who will play, Ajinkya Rahane or Karun Nair?
India squad for one-off Bangladesh Test
While questioning Rahane's spot in the Test playing XI would have been ridiculous a while back, such is India's batting strength at the moment that if you miss a couple of matches through injury, particularly after showing fallibilities in your technique, your spot could be gobbled up.
While Karun did not set the world on fire on his debut or his second game, he certainly made an impact in his third Test match – in Chennai against England.
Coming off an unfortunate run out in Mohali and a poor showing in Mumbai¸ it might have been easy for Karun to lose faith in his ability at the highest level, but the Karnataka batsman stood tall on an albeit flat pitch in Chennai, flaying the England bowlers mercilessly.
At the end of it all, Karun became only the second Indian batsman to score a triple century in Test cricket, with that knock allowing India to pile the pressure on England in the second innings, pressure the visitors failed to cope with.
So, just how do you drop someone who scored a triple hundred in his last innings?
Because, if India are to play with the same combination against Bangladesh – and there should be no reason to change it, considering how well the lower middle order batsmen have batted – there will be place for only one of Rahane or Karun.
The openers, fitness permitting, should be Murali Vijay and KL Rahul – there is little chance of Cheteshwar Pujara being sent in to open, with it opening up places for both Rahane and Karun – followed by Pujara, Virat Kohli, and the No.5 batsman.
Kohli will have to decide on playing either Karun or Rahane to play at No.5 in the one-off Test against Bangladesh.
The India captain might decide saving Rahane, just coming off a finger injury, for the four-match Test series against Australia, which starts later this month, with it allowing Karun to play another Test match. But then, Kohli might also think Rahane needs to get back into form and there is no better place to find your touch than an actual match.
Kohli will also know thinking about the Australia series and with it taking your eye off Bangladesh, who can be really difficult customers in sub-continental conditions, is fraught with danger.
So, the like scenario is he will play the batsman he feels is best equipped to handle Bangladesh.
Rahane is a shoo-in in conditions outside India. His technique against pace and bounce and movement is one of the best, but when it comes to tracks that take a bit of turn, he has been found wanting.
Too many times, Rahane has gotten out similarly to the spinners, while he has found it difficult to gauge the pitch and pace of the bounce against the faster bowlers as well.
No doubt, there is a flaw for Rahane there to correct, and there is also no doubt that he is talented and aware enough to realise it and work it out.
A fit, ready and in-form Rahane will be a definite selection in a Test team for India, but with Karun playing the way he did in the team's last Test, he is going to be a difficult man to bench.
Kohli likes proactive cricketers, ones who can take the game away in a session or two. The way Karun did that against England would have impressed Kohli.
The India skipper will also look at what these two players bring in the field – Karun's catching has been suspect and while Rahane is not the surest pair of hands against the pacers, he is India's best slip fielder by a long, long way when standing up to the spinners.
Experience, the slip fielding ability and a long line of crucial knocks will, most likely, end up working in Rahane's favour, but making that final decision is not going to be easy for Kohli and head coach Kumble, even if such problems are always nice to have.
