After 16 months, veteran batsman Ajinkya Rahane has made a comeback to the Indian team for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against formidable Australia to be played at the Oval in London starting from June 7.
Rahane had led India to a famous series win in Australia in 2020-21. However, he lost his vice-captaincy and was subsequently dropped from Team India following a series of underwhelming performances. His last Test appearance was against South Africa in January 2022.
However, Rahane was not affected by that lean patch. He worked hard in the domestic circuit and performed well in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 to make a comeback to the Indian team for the all-important WTC Final.
“I am really happy to be back with Indian team after maybe 18 to 19 months. This is something really special for me. I want to keep continuing my batting form. I don’t want to think too much about the format. I don’t want to complicate things. The more I keep it simple. It will be better,” said Rahane during a recent interview.
As per the veteran batsman, omission from India’s red-ball setup was an ‘emotional’ moment for him. He found his biggest motivators in his family and a group of close friends. Moreover, the intense desire to play for India helped Rahane make a dramatic comeback to the Test side.
“When I got dropped from the Indian team, the support from my family was massive. The dream was still to play for India and that is what I told my family. I worked hard on the fitness, my game plan and everything. I went back to domestic cricket and had a very good season for Mumbai. When I got a call from the Indian team for WTC Final, the moment was really emotional for me and for my family,” said Rahane.