Why Ajinkya Rahane Got Picked In Team India`s WTC Final Squad Vs Australia? Ravi Shastri Decodes

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has praised the selection of veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane in India's squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. Shastri believes that having an experienced campaigner like Rahane will be beneficial in a one-off big game, such as the WTC final, and cited Rahane's leadership and performance in India's historic 2-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph in Australia just two-and-a-half years ago. Shastri also highlighted Rahane's recent performances in domestic cricket, where he made 250 runs in five innings in the Duleep Trophy and was Mumbai's leading run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy with 634 runs from seven matches, including a double-century and a century.

"Absolutely, it's a one-off big game, like the Super Bowl, and you need your experienced player. Don't forget just two-and-a-half years ago, the man won a Test series in Australia. He was the captain when Virat (Kohli) went (on paternity leave) and did a sterling job. People forget that hundred at the MCG, the way he played, and the fact that he's gone back to the grind. You saw what it did with Pujara, he went back to the grind playing domestic cricket, playing county cricket, just got the number of runs under his belt, then came back into Test cricket and performed. It's the same thing with Rahane, let's hope that experience comes in handy," Shastri was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo on the Ravi & Raunak Show.

Rahane had been left out of the Test team since January 2022 due to a dip in form and a hamstring injury sustained during IPL 2022, but he worked hard to recover and regain his spot in the team. Shastri emphasized the importance of Rahane's experience, especially with Shreyas Iyer unavailable due to a back surgery. Shastri denied claims that Rahane's form in IPL 2023 played a hand in his return to the Test team, stating that people must have been on holiday for six months if they were not aware of Rahane's first-class cricket performances.

"Oh, a lot, because the memory is fresh. Domestic cricket was over two months ago. People might tend to forget it, even the selectors. Suddenly you come in and play that kind of innings where you look at ease, the timing is good, the footwork is good, the confidence is good, it would've definitely helped."

"I'm so glad he's made it to the side. He batted beautifully in these two-three games he's played in the IPL, and has looked in great touch. And let's not forget the experience he has. The moment Shreyas Iyer was injured, you had to look in that direction."

Rahane has been in stupendous form for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023, aggregating 224 runs in six innings with an average of 44.8 and a strike rate of 189.3. Shastri hopes that Rahane's experience and recent performances will come in handy in the WTC final, which will be held from June 7-11 at The Oval in London.

"People think he's just played three IPL games and that's why he's in the side. They must have been on holiday for six months when he was playing first-class cricket. They must've been somewhere in the jungle where there's no contact with anyone in the world. When you go six months into a holiday, you miss those 600 runs," he concluded.