The World Test Championship final between Australia and India will begin on June 7 at The Oval in London and was recently announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Ajinkya Rahane, a seasoned Indian hitter, is one of the notable names chosen for the team. His outstanding achievements in the current season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Ranji Trophy 2022–23 won him a spot in the team.
Ravi Shastri, a former head coach of India, is pleased that Ajinkya Rahane has been selected for the WTC final squad. He was quite complimentary of the 34-year-old batter’s professional IPL performance for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
“I’m so relieved he’s reached the side. In the two or three IPL games he has played, he has batted well and displayed excellent touch. Not to mention the expertise he possesses. You have to check there as soon as Shreyas Iyer becomes hurt, Shastri told ESPN cricinfo on the Ravi & Raunak Show.
The veteran cricketer claimed that some individuals would believe that Ajinkya Rahane was selected for the WTC final squad because he appeared in three IPL games.
He asserted that during Ajinkya Rahane first-class cricket matches, those individuals must have been on holiday for a period of six months. In the 2022–23 Ranji Trophy season, the 34-year-old batsman led Mumbai, hitting 634 runs in 11 innings, including two centuries, at an average of 57.64.
People believe that the reason he is in the lineup is because he has only played three IPL games. They must have spent the six months he was playing first-class cricket on vacation. They must have been in a remote area of the jungle, cut off from the rest of humanity. You miss those 600 runs when you take a vacation that lasts six months, the 60-year-old continued.
It’s a significant game that only happens once, so you need an experienced player. Shastri
The WTC final, according to Shastri, is a one-time event, and the stage calls for an experienced player. In the 2020–21 Border–Gavaskar Trophy, Ajinkya Rahane captained India to victory in Australia, and he praised that performance.
You need a seasoned player since it’s a huge game like the Super Bowl, without a doubt. Don’t forget that the man won a Test series in Australia only two and a half years ago. When Virat went on paternity leave, Rahane took over as captain and performed admirably, according to Shastri.