‘The success he had at No. 5, his ability to bat with the tail and the range of shots he has, makes him a very good No. 5’

India batting great Rahul Dravid says Ajinkya Rahane is more suited to the No. 5 position than No. 3, where he batted in two Tests during the just-concluded series against Sri Lanka.

"I think he is good at No. 5," opined the former India captain in Mumbai, on Friday, at the launch of former Test opener Aakash Chopra’s book, The Insider.

"I think he (Rahane) would be a very good No 4 and No. 5 batsman in Tests.

"I am not saying he won’t be a good No. 3, because he batted there; but the success he had at No. 5, his ability to bat with the tail and the range of shots he has, makes him a very good No. 5," he added.

The No. 3 position in India’s batting order came up for debate during the Sri Lanka Test series, which the visitors won 2-1.

Rohit Sharma’s twin failures in the first Test at Galle forced the team management to swap him with Rahane, who was initially batting at No. 5.

The in-form Rahane hit a crucial century (126) in the second Test, but was out in single digits in the other three innings he batted at No. 3, which made many experts conclude that he should be played down the order.

Dravid was India’s most successful batsman at No. 3, having scored 10,501 runs, at an average of 53, including 28 centuries, at that slot. Thus, he knows what’s best for Rahane.

"Obviously, he is required to bat at whatever position his team needs him to. But, for me, No. 5 is the position where he will probably do best in Tests."

India have the option of playing Cheteshwar Pujara, who opened the innings in the third Test in Colombo, at No. 3. The Saurashtra batsman stroked a match-winning 145 in his comeback game. So it remains to be seen if the Indian team management heeds Dravid’s advice.

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