NEW DELHI: Ajinkya Rahane has returned to the Indian cricket team after almost 18 months and wants to have no regrets about the lost time and wants to bring the positive and aggressive mindset he had during the IPL to the Trial World Championship final against Australia.
Rahane’s experience and skills will be invaluable to India in the highly anticipated final of the World Test Championship. His ability to soak up pressure, play long innings, and contribute significantly to team success make him a vital member of the batting lineup.
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Ajinkya Rahane’s career breakthrough
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Ajinkya Rahane’s resurgence for CSK coupled with his promising domestic form earned him a place in the final WTC squad against Australia at The Oval.
Rahane finished with 326 runs in 14 games at a staggering strike rate of 172.48 and was CSK’s fourth best run-getter.
Rahane’s experience of English conditions will benefit the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team.
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting was delighted to see Ajinkya Rahane back in the Test squad.
Ponting also felt that her positive intent in the IPL helped Rahane’s cause.
Ponting feels Test cricket is easier for Rahane than his recent IPL exploits for CSK.
Rahane last appeared in Tests for India in January 2022 and has been out of favor in the red ball setup since.
Before being dropped Rahane had a horrendous 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 dismal 36 all-out.
Rahane has to make full use of the opportunity presented to him to extend his professional career.
“Coming back after 18-19 months, whatever happened, 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 the India’s training session at Arundel, Portsmouth.
“Personally I enjoyed playing for CSK because I hit well all season, even before the IPL. I had a great season at home and felt good. So this comeback was a bit emotional for me.” .
Rahane who was part of CSK’s fifth IPL title winning team has already received much praise for his attacking batting and strike rate improvement in T20 cricket, and especially the 27-ball 61 against Mumbai Indians has shown a change in his intent.
“I want to bat with the same mindset and show the same intent that I showed before I came here to the IPL e Ranji Trophy. I wouldn’t think about the format if it’s T20 or Test. The way I’m batting now, I don’t want to complicate things and the more I keep it simple the better for me” said the veteran of 82 Tests and 4,931 runs.
Rahane played a crucial role in leading the Indian cricket team to their historic Test series win in Australia during the 2020-2021 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Rahane’s captaincy was widely praised when he stepped in for regular captain Virat Kohli and led the team to a stunning comeback after losing the first Test.
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WTC Final: India and Australia record at the Oval
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As Australia prepare for their World Test Championship final against India, the Down Under men are eager to put their past difficulties at the Oval behind them.
In over 140 years of Test cricket in England, Australia have had one of the worst records at the Oval, which will host the final from 7-11 June between the top two Test sides.
Australia played at the Oval in 1880 in what was England’s first ever Test.
The Australians managed just seven wins from 38 Tests at the Oval, taking their success rate at the venue to 18.42%, the lowest in all of England.
Australia have won just twice in the last 50 years at the Oval.
Australia achieved 17 wins from 29 matches at Lord’s with a success rate of 43.59%.
India, on the other hand, have not fared too well here having won two matches, drawn seven and lost five.
But the Rohit Sharma-led team will be strengthened by a 157-run win against England at The Oval in 2021, which was their first Test win at the venue in 40 years.
Australia finished the 2021-23 WTC cycle top of the table, their only defeat being a 1-2 away defeat to India earlier this year.
The Australians have not beaten the Men in Blue, both home and away, for eight years, suffering four straight series defeats.
Rahane praised Rohit Sharma for his leadership during the World Test Championship (wtc) cycle.
“I thought the culture in the team now is really good. Rohit is managing the team very well and I’m sure Rahul bhai is also managing the team very well. That also helps and the atmosphere is really good. Whatever I’m seeing in this moment is that everyone is enjoying each other’s company,” he said.
Rahane thanked her family and friends for their support during her time away from the national team.
“It was (a) emotional moment for me. When I was left, the support I got from my family was huge and the dream was to play for India and that was huge. Playing for India matters a lot for me and I worked hard on my fitness and got back to domestic cricket.”
“Thanks to the BCCI and the selectors and when I returned to domestic cricket, the focus was on playing for India, whether it was the Ranji Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy or the training session, for me, every day that I I used to wake up, was all thinking he could play for India again.
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WTC Final: Acid test for Shubman Gill
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No one has ever doubted Shubman Gill’s class, but in the last two months of the IPL, he has suddenly reached a different level.
Now all attention is on Gill and the cricketing world is ready to present him as the heir apparent to Virat Kohli.
A decade ago, Kohli took over from Sachin Tendulkar.
While Kohli’s ODI performances in the early 2010s played a big part in this, his biggest test came in red ball cricket.
Once Tendulkar retired, in the first Test he played – against South Africa in Johannesburg – Kohli batted 119 and 96.
Kohli is still a long way from retirement, but now is the time to transition.
If Gill is indeed to become the pretender to the title of ‘king of Indian cricket’ he must recreate his T20 magic in Test matches.
Not that Gill hasn’t already shown some flashes, but come the World Test Championship Final at the Oval from 7 June, the arc lights will indeed be on him.
Gill’s job may be slightly more difficult than it was for Kohli all those years ago, for the simple reason that the Punjab boy is a trailblazer.
The chance of failing while opening the bat 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 single moment, be it success or failure, and having no regrets. Learning from every individual in the Mumbai Ranji team. You have to grow as a cricketer every single day, the process of learning shouldn’t stop,” he said.
Playing in England is demanding, feels Rahane, who had scored a hundred in a Test match at Lord’s in 2014.
“It’s about mindset and reading the situation well, staying in (the) moment and playing session by session. In England, you just don’t look at the pitch, you also keep an eye on the time. In England, you never feel like you’re in even if you’re batting on 70,” he said.
(with PTI inputs)
