Team India head coach Rahul Dravid doesn’t want Ajinkya Rahane to treat the World Test Championship final against Australia as a one-off Test match. The veteran batter is making a comeback to the red-ball format for the final, which is all set to take place from June 7 to June 11 at The Oval in London.
Ajinkya Rahane was dropped from the Test team following his poor run in the format. However, with the absence of Shreyas Iyer, the Indian team recalled the former vice-captain for the summit clash. The right-handed batter had a decent domestic season for Mumbai. He finished as the leading run-scorer for the team in Ranji Trophy. He also had a great Indian Premier League season for the Chennai Super Kings.
Making a comeback to the Test team, the World Test Championship final will be an all-important match for Ajinkya Rahane. Head coach Rahul Dravid doesn’t want him to approach the test as a one-off. Speaking at a press conference, he said,
“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”
“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,” he added.
It’s good to have Ajinkya Rahane: Rahul Dravid
Ajinkya Rahane brings great experience to the Indian team for the World Test Championship final. He has scored 4931 Test runs, at an average of 38.52, with twelve centuries to his name. He is known for his gutsy knocks in dire situations for Team India. Head coach Rahul Dravid expressed that it’s good to have the veteran batter back in the team. He said,
“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.”
“Rahane 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.”
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.