Just a few overs earlier, Rohit, like Raina, had thrown it away against the Australians during a tight chase, on his highest score of the tour so far. Now, the two men with great starts had no say in the match finish. Yet again.

Fortunately for Team India, and even more so for the young batsmen, MS Dhoni held his nerve to hunt down the 13 runs required off the last over. For if that hadn’t happened, the beautiful-while-it-lasted contributions by Rohit and Raina (33 and 38 respectively) would not have been applauded. Rather, their will to succeed would once again have been questioned. As would have the thinking behind India’s rotation policy.

With Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir taking turns to sit out during the group stages to allow the youngsters to find their feet, the top-order has been consistently changing while the spinal column of the batting order has remained a constant. The move was to ensure that once the openers are dismissed (whoever they may be by the end of the tournament), India have up to four match-winners in Virat Kohli, Rohit, Raina and Dhoni waiting in the dressing room to seal the deal. However, the only constants that India’s numbers four and five have achieved is their omnipresence in the playing XI and the lack of big scores.

Numbers lacking

Yes, they have scored their 30s, and the team has won two matches in a row. But on both occasions, it has been members from the top-order that have belted out the big 50s to lead India to victory. If it was No. 3 batsman Virat Kohli’s 77 in Perth against Sri Lanka, then it was opener Gautam Gambhir’s 92 against the Australians at Adelaide. And unless things change rather drastically in both their minds and playing styles within a few hours, it will once again be one of the top-three to stand up against the Lankans for Game Five of this tri-series on Tuesday. “Raina got us going for the win with his 38, and Rohit was batting brilliantly for his 33. The victory is as much theirs as mine,” said a benevolent Gambhir during his press conference on Sunday, before adding, “Rohit has a big score just around the corner.”

The 24-year old will pray his senior is right, for it sure has been a frustrating summer for Rohit. Not given a chance in the Test series, the fluid strokeplay was given its first go to unleash itself during the first T20 against Australia in Sydney, but Rohit responded with a golden duck — bowled by part-timer David Hussey. The modes of dismissal have changed — caught behind, pouched at point, holed out at mid-off — over the fortnight, but the frustration has remained the same. With Raina, even the dismissals have repeated itself.

Old nemesis

During the first two ODIs, Raina was out to his lifelong nemesis — fending the short ball. And in the first T20 and the last ODI, he was dismissed giving himself room to play a Chennai Super Kings stroke. It’s just the kind of wicket that forces the opposition to call India ‘vulnerable’ away from home. “India are always strong in India, with smaller grounds and the conditions they are used to. But away from home, they struggle,” said Kumar Sangakkara on the eve of the match.

Dhoni, on the other hand, has always believed there is a very fine line between a glorious stroke and a disgrceful dismissal. “See, if Raina or Rohit had connected those shots, then everyone would have been praising them,” he said. True, but the fact that Raina and Rohit, placed right besides each other in the batting order, haven’t stitched a single partnership together cannot be defended.

For a sum total of one run and five balls (three in the first T20 and two in the first ODI) in this series, the faces of India’s young middle-order have played together on the field. Beyond the boundary, however, the bonding has been strong. With crossed fingers and hoping minds, Rohit and Raina were praying for an India victory on Sunday. But soon, if their starts don’t find great endings, it could be for their places in the side.