Rahane’s Success in IPL 2023 gets him a WTC Final berth, Kuldeep and SKY dropped out.
Eminent batsmen Ajinkya Rahane has been called up for World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia which will be played at the Oval from June 7. BCCI senior selection committee had a meeting on Monday and after a prolonged consultation they have decided to bring back Ajinkya Rahane as Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant is antiquated due to injuries concern. Moreover, it announces Team India squad for ICC World Test Championship 2023 Final to be played against Australia at Kennington Oval Stadium in London.
Although Rahane was inquired into County opportunities in England last year, but he got injured during the last IPL and have to put things on rest. Besides this, this season domestic season that followed, Rahane grazed three centuries, including a double century, in the Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy. Leading Mumbai in domestic season, he scored 634 runs and narrowly missed out on a knockout berth.
In the ongoing IPL Season 16, Rahane being this time into CSK has been one of the inconceivable and magnificent performers showing he is ready to revive his game. More importantly, he has looked in quaint way, something that not only made the selectors notice him, but also get the backing of the team management because of his outlandish and enchanting batting as CSK being at the top of points table in middle of the IPL. With Shreyas, Bumrah, Rajat and Pant missing, the team management believes Rahane’s companionship and latency in the middle-order would be requisite and needful against strong
Australian side as Indian team search their first ever ICC title since 2013 Champions Trophy. While KL Rahul is also in the squad and can fill in at middle-order, there is a strong chance that he could still be in the XI and play as wicketkeeper ahead of KS Bharat as he possesses tactical approach of game.
Barring Rahane’s admittance, there are no considerable and extensive changes from the team that featured in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in February-March this year. Suryakumar Yadav has lost his place as he is lacking his form this year and as contemplated the selectors have also recalled Lord Shardul Thakur to the squad, who could be into the play as a third pacer with Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami in playing XI. Also, Jaydev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav being there into the squad of WTC Final.
With Thakur coming into the squad as a third seamer, the selectors were left with no option but to drop Kuldeep Yadav as picking four spinners would have been excess for the Test as there are already Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel in the squad who can also provide with the bat when being needed.
India’s Test squad WTC final: Rohit Sharma (Captain), 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.
