Ajinkya Rahane has made a solid comeback to Test cricket. The former India vice-captain was recalled for the ongoing ICC World Test Championship final against Australia after being out of the Test team for more than a year.
Prior to playing in the WTC final, he last played a Test in January 2022 during the tour of South Africa before being dropped from the team ahead of the home series against Sri Lanka. His replacement Shreyas Iyer did well against Sri Lanka and was given an extended run in the Test team. However, an unfortunate injury to Iyer opened the door for Ajinkya Rahane in the Test side.
The right-handed batsman also did well in the Ranji Trophy where he finished the campaign as Mumbai’s highest run-scorer. The performances helped him earn a recall and he has grabbed the opportunity with both hands. In a match where the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli failed to deliver, he stood tall and bailed India out of trouble.
Thanks to his knock of 89 runs, India recovered from 71 for 4 and the 142 for 5 to post 296 runs. Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur (51) shared a 109-run stand for the seventh wicket to help India avoid the follow-on. Rahane missed out on a well-deserved century after Cameron Green took a stunning catch at gully.
Ajinkya Rahane’s update on finger injury:
India will be hoping that their former vice-captain delivers with the bat in the second innings too if his services are needed. And ahead of the second innings, he has given a promising update on his finger injury. The right-hander played down the concerns over his finger injury while expressing his delight over making a good comeback. He admitted that the injury was painful but stated that it was manageable.
“Happy with the way I batted. We were looking to get 320-330 but overall we had a good day. Bowling wise we bowled well. Everyone chipped in,” Rahane told the broadcaster.
“Australia slightly ahead in the game. For us it’s important to be in the moment, play session by session. First one hour will be crucial tomorrow (Day 4). We know funny things can happen. Still feel wicket will help seam bowlers,” he added.
Meanwhile, after bowling India out for 296, Australia finished day 3 on 123 for 4 to extend their lead to 296 runs.
Also Read: Oval Weather Today: Day 4 Weather Forecast For The IND vs AUS WTC Final At The Oval, London