WTC Final: Ex-Australia coach on his chat with Steve Waugh about Ajinkya Rahane

On Day 3 of the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval, Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane made a remarkable comeback. After being dropped from the Sri Lanka Test series in March 2022, Rahane played his first match for India and emerged as the highest scorer for his team in London.

Despite concerns about India's performance, Rahane's knock of 89, along with the support of Shardul Thakur, helped the team avoid a follow-on. During his innings, former Australia coach Justin Langer revealed an interesting detail about the role of Steve Waugh in Rahane's calm and composed approach.

Langer shared a conversation he had with Steve Waugh during the Border-Gavaskar Test series in 2021/22. Waugh, the former Australian captain, disclosed that he had been having conversations with Rahane, possibly mentoring him leading up to that series. Langer, who was the head coach of Australia at the time, found this revelation unsettling because it foreshadowed the nightmare he experienced later in the series. Rahane, despite leading an injury-plagued and Kohli-less Indian side, inspired a remarkable comeback with a century in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

What Justin Langer said

Langer recalled, "Before the series started, Steve Waugh, my hero, called me and honestly admitted that he was in contact with Rahane and mentoring him prior to the series. As the iceman, Steve Waugh's calmness was evident in Rahane's performance during that series. When I learned about their conversations, it raised red flags for me."

In the absence of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane led the Indian side to a resounding 2-1 victory in the 2021 Border-Gavaskar Trophy . In the Boxing Day Test, Rahane scored a century and emerged as the Player of the Match.

Ajinkya Rahane in the WTC

Although Rahane fell short of a well-deserved century on Friday when Pat Cummins dismissed him for 89 off 129 balls, his performance was sensational considering his absence from the team for nearly 18 months and uncertainty about his future. Starting at 71 for 4 in 18.2 overs, Rahane's innings helped revive India, taking them to a total of 296 runs. Australia have a lead of 296 runs ahead of Day 4.