The return of Ajinkya Rahane to India’s squad for the World Test Championship has sent many cricket fans across the country into a state of excitement. Rahane, a veteran of the game, had not played for India since January last year but was called up for the WTC final against Australia. However, for those who are baffled by the long-term validity of Rahane’s recall, former chief selector of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) MSK Prasad has lauded the current set of selectors for the move.
“It’s a fair team, it’s the right call. With so much uncertainty in Ajinkya’s middle order, I think they (the selectors) were right,” Prasad said. India today,
Rahane’s return was as expected after 15 months after Shreyas Iyer’s back injury ruled him out of the grand finale. Iyer recently underwent surgery in the UK to treat a stress fracture in his lower back. Prasad’s happiness knew no bounds to see the right-handed batsman making a comeback.
“I am very, very happy for him. He has always been an amazing performer in the away series for India. And I think he fits the bill perfectly. Full credit to the selectors for bringing him back.”
Their selection has more to do with carrying enough experienced batsmen in the line-up as Indian teams have struggled in SENA countries during such one-off games.
The 34-year-old, who led Mumbai in the entire domestic season, scored nearly 700 runs but most notably, he improved his attacking play in the IPL and looks more purposeful than ever with a strike rate of 190. In seven matches so far.
Since this is a one-time game, the selectors may not have found it logical to have a second keeper on the team. There is every possibility that the team management may try to rope in KL Rahul not only as a middle-order batsman but also as a keeper and Rahane can play as an additional batsman.
Suryakumar might have felt the pinch as he only got to play one Test which is not an indicator of a cricketer’s abilities in the longer format, but Sharma and Dravid wanted more experience in the batting department.