For the June 7–11 World Test Championship championship match against Australia in London, Ajinkya Rahane was called back to the Test squad.
Since India’s tour of South Africa in January 2022, Rahane hasn’t participated in a Test match.
Sourav Ganguly, a former India captain, has encouraged Ajinkya Rahane to seize the chance presented by his Test recall at the crucial World Test Championship final in June.
It’s up to the star batter to make the most of this opportunity because, according to Ganguly, chances like the one Rahane has don’t come along very often.
After India’s January 2022 tour of South Africa, Ajinkya Rahane was omitted from the Test team. Rahane continued to wait in the wings while Cheteshwar Pujara, who was also dropped, was recalled for the one-off Test in England.
However, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant’s injuries as well as Ajinkya Rahane’s strong domestic performance for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy last season helped Rahane return to the team before the World Test Championship final.
Rahane was chosen by the senior selection committee for the 15-person team in order to give the team more experience as it prepares to face Australia in the final on June 7 in London.
“I’ve always liked him. According to Ganguly on May 5, “He has always been a good player for India.”
“Chances don’t come around often, and if he gets the chance to play in the starting XI for the WTC final, he will take advantage of it. So, I wish him the best,” he continued.
For Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2023, Rahane has been in outstanding form. Under MS Dhoni, Rahane has rekindled his T20 career after scoring just 144 runs in 7 games for KKR the previous season.
In six innings during the IPL, Rahane has scored 224 runs at an astounding strike rate of 189 or higher and an average of 44 points.
Furthermore, Ganguly expressed sympathy for KL Rahul, whose hip injury sustained in the IPL 2023 has prevented him from competing in the WTC final.
The captain of the Lucknow Super Giants, KL Rahul, said on Friday that “He would require surgery and miss the rest of the 2023 IPL season.”
“It’s unfortunate; I’ve read that the injury will prevent him from playing in the IPL final and the WTC championship game. The severity of the injury can only be determined by physios. As Ganguly noted, injuries are common in sports.”
“There will be injuries because these boys play for years on end. And with that, I wish him a quick recovery,” he continued.
As Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and Shreyas Iyer joined Rahul in being injured in the run-up to the WTC final, India now has a long list of injured players.