The veteran India batter Ajinkya Rahane has now shifted his focus to replicating his IPL exploits in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia after making a comeback to the Indian Test team after over a year. Describing the comeback as an emotional moment for him and his family, Rahane shares immense gratitude for making a comeback.
Ajinkya Rahane will be returning to the 15-member Test squad for the WTC final against Australia at The Oval after a solid domestic season and an impressive performance in the recently concluded IPL 2023. Rahane amassed 326 runs in IPL 2023 for Chennai Super Kings, striking at a fiery strike rate of 172.49.
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In the process, he also set a new record for the fastest fifty by a CSK player, scoring it in 19 balls against the Mumbai Indians. Beyond his T20 success, Rahane’s experience and current form are expected to give him a direct entry into the playing XI with Shreyas Iyer out due to injury and Suryakumar Yadav’s lack of international Tests.
Emotions on #TeamIndia comeback ☺️
Preps for the #WTC23 🙌
Support from family & friends 👍In conversation with comeback man @ajinkyarahane88 👌👌 – By @RajalArora
Full Interview 🎥🔽
https://t.co/hUBvZ5rvYD pic.twitter.com/vJINbplobY— BCCI (@BCCI) June 3, 2023
In a recent video shared by the BCCI, Ajinkya Rahane was heard saying, “Really happy to be back with the Indian team after 18-19 months. I just want to keep continuing my batting form, don’t want to think too much about the format, T20 or Test cricket. The way I am batting right now, I don’t want to complicate things, the more I keep it simple, the better it will be. It was an emotional moment for me. When I got dropped, the support from my family was massive, really important.”
Rahane, who last played a Test in January 2022, also scored a match-winning 71 not out of 29 balls against the Kolkata Knight Riders just a few days before the BCCI announced the selection.
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Speaking about his time away, Ajinkya Rahane stated that he continued to slog in the Ranji Trophy, where he finished the season with 634 runs in 11 innings, a couple of centuries, and an average of 57.63, but what kept him going was his desire to return to the Indian team.
As per the quotes in India Today, Ajinkya Rahane explained, “Playing for India matters a lot for me. I worked hard on my fitness, my batting, my game plan, went back to domestic cricket, had a very good domestic season for Mumbai. When I got the call, that moment was really emotional for me and my family as well.”
