Indian Premier League 2024

'Ipl ke performance par test me selection hoga' - Ajinkya Rahane's return to India's Test squad for WTC final leaves fans in shock

Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane has been named in India's Test squad for the World Test Championship final against Australia.

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Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane (Source: Twitter)

Ajinkya Rahane Ajinkya Rahane (Source: Twitter)

The Indian Cricket Board announced a 15-member squad for the much-awaited World Test Championship (WTC) final on Tuesday, April 25. What surprised everyone was the inclusion of veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane, who is set to make a comeback in the longer format after 15 months. Given the injuries to some key players, the selectors' decision to call up Rahane when India takes on Australia in the marquee event makes sense.

The two giants of world cricket will clash in the WTC final from June 7 to 11 at the Oval in London, with India led by Rohit Sharma and Australia led by Pat Cummins. Having lost the last final against New Zealand, India will be aiming for the title this time but they have a huge task to fill the void of Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer who are out due to injury.

The absence of Shreyas and Pant in the middle order is considered to be the main reason for Rahane's inclusion. The former India captain last played in the South Africa Test series in January 2022 and was dropped following poor form. However, he has had an impressive outing in games at the domestic level and continues to impress everyone with his aggressive knocks in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

I still feel the best is yet to come: Rahane

The 34-year-old scored 634 runs in 7 matches at an average of 57 in the last Ranji Trophy. He has been in superb form in the 2023 IPL, scoring 209 runs in five innings at a staggering strike rate of 199.05. After witnessing his return to the Indian Test team, fans recall his words during the post-match presentation of the CSK vs KKR encounter.

"Just had a clear mindset. If the thing between your ears is right, your mind is right then you'll be fine. I'm just trying to enjoy my game. I've enjoyed all my knocks so far, I still feel the best is yet to come," Rahane said after his match-winning 71* off 29 balls at Eden Gardens on Sunday.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Shardul Thakur and left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat have also been added to the Indian pace attack, which also comprises Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Umesh Yadav.

India’s Test Squad for WTC Final

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, KS Bharat (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat.

Australia’s Test Squad for WTC Final

Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vice-captain), Mitchell Starc, David Warner.

Here's how fans reacted to Rahane's selection: 

India Australia IPL IND vs AUS Ajinkya Rahane