WTC Final 2023:Ajinkya Rahane has reached his 26th Test half-century and is standing tall for Team India. He is also receiving strong backing from Shardul Thakur as six-down Team India progressively gains momentum in the game.
With Australia scoring 469 in the first innings, India currently stands at 228/6.
Ajinkya Rahane is currently playing strong at 85*, while Shardul is at 36*
Big stars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Shubman Gill returned to the pavilion early. Ravindra Jadeja then shared a 71-run partnership with Rahane. However, because Jadeja was outwitted by Nathan Lyon, Rahane is the important player for India on the third day of the WTC 2023 final. Srikar Bharat, who came with him to bat on the third day, got out on the second ball of the day.
Rahane, who, is a Test veteran for India, with nearly 5,000 runs in Test cricket, got the company of Shardul Thakur then, and both are taking India to a good position in the match.
Rahane’s inclusion in the Test team might be due to the untimely injury of Shreyas Iyer, who had established himself as a reliable number five in the format. With Iyer out, Rahane has an opportunity to return to the team after an 18-month hiatus. This return places significant pressure on Rahane to perform and the seasoned batter till now has performed as per his reputation.
How was Rahane selected for the WTC Final?
Rahane was selected for the WTC final against Australia after an excellent domestic season and a stunning effort in the IPL 2023.
The right-arm batter demonstrated his abilities by ending the Ranji Trophy as Mumbai’s highest run-scorer, amassing 634 runs in seven matches at an average of 57.63. His spectacular IPL innings of 61 runs off 27 balls for CSK against Mumbai Indians piqued the interest of selectors, securing him a spot in the national team for the important WTC final.
