
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced Team India's 15-man squad for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final versus Australia, which will be held next month at The Oval, London. In the 15-member squad, Ajinkya Rahane made a comeback into the national side on the back of a decent run in the Ranji Trophy 2022/23 edition and his recent success in the ongoing IPL 2023 edition for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Rahane's comeback was mainly possible after Shreyas Iyer got injured, due to his persistent back issues, and Rohit Sharma & Co. will bank on him in the English conditions given his overall experience. Many former cricketers and experts have shared their take on Rahane's return. MSK Prasad, former Indian chief selector, also joined the bandwagon and gave a thumbs up to the former Indian Test vice-captain's return.
Speaking to IndiaToday, Prasad said, "It’s a fair team, it’s the right call. Ajinkyawith so much of uncertainty in the middle-order, I think they (selectors) were absolutely right. I am very, very happy for him. He has always been a wonderful performer for India in the away series. And I think he fits the bill perfectly. Full credit to the selectors for bringing him back."
"Basically, his attitude is like a monk's. He is never disturbed when he is not selected. He is not over-excited when he is selected. He is that kind of a guy. His mood doesn't swing up and down, just like that. He is a very mature person. Unfortunately, because of a dip in his form, he had to sit out," he added.
Rahane was part of India's playing XI when they faced eventual winners New Zealand in the inaugural WTC final, at Southampton, in 2021. He returned with scores of 49 and 15 and will hope to contribute with a big knock this time around and lead India to a memorable win.
Also Read:IPL 2023: UNSEEN! MS Dhoni loses cool, screams and gives DEATH STARE to his CSK teammate - Watch
INDIA SQUAD FOR WTC FINAL
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, K L Rahul, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat.