Former India coach Ravi Shastri backed the inclusion of Ajinkya Rahane into the Indian squad that was announced by the BCCI for the upcoming ICC WTC 2023 final which will be played on June 7-11 at the Oval against Australia.
Rahane was a contentious choice as BCCI was short on options after Shreyas Iyer was ruled out as he is set to undergo back surgery for his issues and Suryakumar Yadav failed to make good of the two chances he got in Tests against Australia at home.
The former India vice-captain was dropped from the team after the South Africa tour and since then this is the first time he has been picked for the Indian team. Rahane captained Mumbai during the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy, where they narrowly missed qualifying for the knockouts. He made 634 runs in 11 innings at an average of 57.64, including two centuries.
And he is also doing well in the IPL 2023 for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
“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, 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,” Shastri told ESPNcricinfo on the Ravi & Raunak Show.
“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 added.
Rahane’s spot had been under scrutiny after runs dried up post his heroics on the Australia tour in 2020-21, where he led India to their second-straight Test series win.
It’s A One-Off Big Game And You Need Your Experienced Player: Ravi Shastri On Ajinkya Rahane
Rahane’s last Test century also came on the same tour as his ton helped India win the Melbourne Test and level the series 1-1, before drawing in Sydney and winning the Brisbane Test match and the series.
Pujara too found himself out along with Rahane after the South Africa tour last year, but prolific returns in county cricket fueled his return. He made eight hundreds – including three doubles – for Sussex across formats, last year.
“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 handy,” he added.