Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has clarified that veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane’s return to the Test squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia cannot be considered a one-off as well. He again shared that if Rahane grabs his opportunity, there is no reason why he cannot be retained as well. However, Rahane was dropped from the Test squad last year after having a prolonged lean patch with the bat. However, injuries to KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer opened up a berth for him in the middle order and he earned a recall following an impressive Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season as well.

“You don’t want him to approach this as just a one-off. Sometimes, you get dropped from teams and you make a comeback and you come back and play for as long as you are playing well and as long as your performing. It’s not written in stone that you only get one match,” Rahul Dravid answered a query at a press conference on Monday.“If he puts in a good performance and shows what he has got, who knows, even when people come back from injury, you never know what can happen.”

READ MORE: ‘Could have gone deeper’ – Shubman Gill on his knock

Ajinkya Rahane smashed 326 runs in 14 matches in the IPL 2023 which came at an average of 32.60 and a strike rate of 172.49. Sharing his views on Rahane’s comeback, Rahul Dravid added that having someone of his experience is good for the team as well. He also shared the batter’s impressive performances in overseas conditions as well.

ALSO READ: Viacom18 bags WIPL Media Rights for 5 years

“Firstly, it’s good to have him. We have had a few injuries which probably led to him having the opportunity to come back into the squad. Great for us to have someone of his quality. He brings a lot of that experience, he brings proven performance in overseas conditions, even in England, he has played some terrific innings for us.“He brings terrific catching in the slips. He just brings his personality to the group, which is really important. He has led the team and has had considerable success. It’s just great to have him around here,” Rahul Dravid concluded.