NEW DELHI: Ajinkya Rahane is back in the Indian cricket team after almost 18 months and he does not want to regret the lost time and wants to bring the positive and aggressive mindset he had during the IPL to the World Trials Championship Final against Australia.
Rahane’s experience and skills will prove valuable to India in the highly anticipated World Test Championship final. His ability to absorb pressure, play long innings and contribute significantly to team success make him a vital member of the hitting lineup.
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The turn in Ajinkya Rahane’s career
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Ajinkya Rahane’s resurgence for CSK, coupled with his promising domestic form, earned him a place in the WTC final squad against Australia at the Oval.
Rahane finished with 326 runs in 14 matches on an astonishing strike rate of 172.48 and was CSK’s fourth-highest-running player.
Rahane’s experience in English conditions will prove beneficial to the Indian team led by Rohit Sharma.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting was happy to see Ajinkya Rahane return to the Test squad.
Ponting also felt that his positive intention in the IPL helped Rahane’s cause.
Ponting feels Test cricket is easier for Rahane compared to his recent IPL exploits for CSK.
Rahane last appeared in the Indian Tests in January 2022 and has been underdog in the red ball setup since.
Before he was dropped, Rahane had a terrible 2021 in which he scored just 479 runs in 13 Tests at an average of 20.82.
Rahane’s final Test century came at the MCG in the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar series, where he captained India’s comeback after a dismal 36 all-out.
Rahane must make the most of the opportunity that has been presented to him to extend his professional career.
“Coming back after 18 or 19 months, no matter what, good or bad, I don’t want to think about my past. I just want to start over and keep doing what I’ve been doing,” Rahane told BCCI.TV on the sidelines of India’s training session at Arundel in Portsmouth.
“I personally enjoyed playing for CSK as I have been batting well throughout the season, even before the IPL. I had a very good domestic season and it felt good. So this comeback was a bit emotional for me.”
Part of CSK’s fifth IPL title-winning side, Rahane has already received much praise for his offensive batting and improved strike rate in T20 cricket, and especially the 27-ball 61 against Mumbai Indians he showed. A change in your intention.
“I want to bat with the same mentality and show the same intention that I showed before coming here in IPL and Ranji Trophy. I would not like to think about the format, be it T20 or Tests. The way I’m batting right now, I don’t want to complicate things and the simpler it is the better for me,” said the 82-Test, 4,931-run veteran.
Rahane played a crucial role in leading the Indian cricket team to a historic Test series victory in Australia during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Rahane’s captaincy was widely praised as he replaced regular captain Virat Kohli and guided the team to a remarkable recovery after losing the first Test.
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WTC Final: Indian and Australian Records at The Oval
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As Australia prepares for the World Test Championship final against India, the men from Down Under would be keen to put their past struggles at The Oval behind them.
In more than 140 years of Test cricket in England, Australia have had one of the worst records at The Oval, which will host the June 7-11 final between the top two Test teams.
Australia played at The Oval in 1880 in what was the first Test in England.
The Aussies have managed just seven wins from 38 Tests at The Oval, putting their success rate in place at 18.42 per cent, the lowest in all of England.
Australia have won just twice in the last 50 years at The Oval.
Australia have 17 wins from 29 matches at Lord’s with a 43.59% win rate.
India, on the other hand, has not been doing too well at the venue as they have won two, drawn seven and lost five games.
But the Rohit Sharma-led team will be boosted by the 157-run win over England at The Oval in 2021, which was their first Test victory at the venue in 40 years.
Australia finished the 2021-23 WTC cycle at the top of the table, their only loss being a 1-2 loss to India earlier this year.
The Aussies have not beaten the Men in Blue, both home and away, in eight years, and have suffered four straight losses in the series.
Rahane praised Rohit Sharma for his leadership during the World Test Championship (wtc) cycle.
“I think the culture in the team now is very good. Rohit is managing the team very well and I’m sure Rahul Bhai is also doing very well. That also helps and the atmosphere is very good. Whatever I’m watching right now is that everyone enjoys each other’s company,” he said.
Rahane thanked his family and friends for the support he received during his time away from the national team.
“It was (an) emotional moment for me. When I was released, the support I got from my family was huge and the dream was to play for India and that was huge. Playing for India is very important to me and I worked hard on my fitness and returned to domestic cricket”.
“Thanks to the BCCI and the selectors, and when I came back to domestic cricket the goal was to play for India, whether it was the Ranji Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy or a practice session, for me every day I woke up it was all about thinking that I can play for India again.
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WTC final: litmus test for Shubman Gill
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No one ever doubted Shubman Gill’s class, but over the last two months of the IPL, he suddenly reached a different level.
All the attention is now firmly on Gill and the cricketing world is ready to introduce him as the heir apparent to Virat Kohli.
A decade ago, Kohli replaced Sachin Tendulkar.
While Kohli’s ODI performances in the early 2010s played a big part in that, his biggest test was red-ball cricket.
Once Tendulkar retired, in the first Test he played, against South Africa in Johannesburg, Kohli smashed 119 and 96.
Kohli is still far from retirement, but now is the time to transition.
If Gill is really to become the contender for the ‘king of Indian cricket’ title, he has to recreate his T20 magic in Test matches.
Not that Gill hasn’t shown flashes of it already, but when the World Test Championship final comes to the Oval from June 7, the arc lights will really be on him.
Gill’s job might be a little tougher than it was for Kohli all those years ago, for the simple reason that the Punjabi boy is a starter.
The chance of missing to open the batting in red ball cricket is higher than in no. ° 4 or 5, especially when the test is played on English soil.
“What made my comeback possible was enjoying every moment, whether it was a success or a failure, and having no regrets. Learning from every individual in the Mumbai Ranji team. You have to grow as a cricketer every day, the process of learning should not stop. ,” he said.
Playing in England is challenging, feels Rahane, who had scored a hundred in a Test match at Lord’s Back in 2014.
“It’s all about the mindset and reading the situation well, staying in (the) moment and playing it session by session. In England, you don’t just look at the pitch, you also watch the weather. In England, you never feel like you’re even inside if you’re hitting 70,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)
