Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri lauded Ajinkya Rahane for his 89-run knock, while also giving a massive shoutout to IPL 2023 champs Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as Rahane made a comeback into the Indian team.
The middle-order batter who once captained the Indian team in the absence of Virat Kohli in the past had been dropped from the side after the Test series against South Africa in 2022 and he made his return after a long 18-month spell.
With India conceding 469 runs in the first innings of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, Rohit Sharma’s men were reduced to 71/4 after Virat Kohli’s dismissal as the top order collapsed.
Ravindra Jadeja played a handy 48-run knock to help revive his side’s hopes before Rahane smashed 89 as India narrowly avoided the follow-on courtesy of a century stand for the seventh wicket between Ajinkya and Shardul Thakur.
Shastri meanwhile was full of praise for Rahane after his knock saying that the inning had aggression and caution both.
“Ajinkya Rahane batted beautifully. I thought his tactics, his clarity of thought from the outset were first-class. He mixed caution with aggression. He was always on the lookout for runs and by doing that, it rubbed off on Shardul Thakur as well. It was a fabulous partnership as well, it gave India total respectability,” Shastri told Star Sports.
The former Indian coach also credited the way Ajinkya played in the recently concluded IPL 2023 season which ‘liberated’ the veteran batter.
Rahane scored 326 runs for CSK as they lifted their fifth IPL crown and the most impressive aspect was that the 35-year-old scored at a blistering strike rate of 180 in IPL.
“He played domestic cricket, didn’t give up. Waited for his opportunity and I think, in many ways, this IPL has been a sort of liberation for him. It’s allowed him to come out of his comfort zone and play in the manner he has been playing now, freely. There are no cobwebs in the mind, all those have been cleared. He comes out and plays his natural game,” added Shastri.
Australia finished Day 3 of the WTC final 2023 having a 296-run lead as they look to build a daunting target with two days of cricket action left in the summit clash and India will look to make inroads on Day 4.
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