Ajinkya Rahane has been included in the Indian cricket team for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, which will be held at the Oval in London from June 7 to 11. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 15-man squad on Tuesday, dropping aggressive batter Suryakumar Yadav, spinner Kuldeep Yadav, and young stumper-batter Ishan Kishan, who were all part of the home series against Australia.
The BCCI’s five-man selection panel, comprising secretary Jay Shah, skipper Rohit Sharma, and Rahul Dravid, met on Monday evening to decide on the squad. Rahane’s comeback after 15 months was on predictable lines following Shreyas Iyer’s back injury that ruled him out of the grand finale. Iyer recently underwent a surgery in the UK to treat stress fractures in his lower back.
Rahane last played a Test in January 2022 against South Africa in Cape Town. His selection has more to do with carrying enough experienced batters in the line-up, as Indian teams have had their share of struggles in SENA countries during one-off games like these. The 34-year-old, who led Mumbai during the entire domestic season, scored nearly 700 runs, but what stood out was how he has improved his attacking game in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and is looking more purposeful than ever before with a strike-rate of 190 in seven games so far.
The rest of the squad, led by Rohit Sharma, was on predictable lines. However, there is no designated vice-captain for the WTC final, although it is expected that Chesteshwar Pujara, who was Sharma’s deputy in the last two Test matches against Australia at home, would be asked to do the job again. Pujara is currently leading Sussex in the English County Championship.
KS Bharat is the only specialist wicketkeeper in the 15-man squad, while young Kishan, Kuldeep, and Suryakumar lost their place in the squad. Since it is a one-off game, the selectors may not have found it logical to have a second keeper in the side. There is every chance that team management might try struggling KL Rahul not only as a middle-order but also as a keeper, and Rahane could play as an extra batter.
Jadeja, Ashwin, Patel, and Thakur are the four bowling all-rounders in the squad. With the Oval usually assisting spinners during later stages of the game, a second slow bowler could come in handy. Batting deep will be the Indian team’s mantra, and that’s been the basis of selection for the one-off game.
Jadeja, in overseas conditions, is nowadays more of a batting all-rounder, and Axar is also transforming more into a specialist middle-order batter. Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, along with Shardul Thakur, will be in contention for the first three seam bowling slots. The only man, who as of now, might not be in contention to be selected in playing XI is Jaydev Unadkat, the fifth seamer. He could help the batters prepare for Mitchell Starc’s left-arm angle, although it will be difficult for the Saurashtra veteran to match the New South Wales man’s pace.
In conclusion, Rahane’s inclusion in the Indian team for the WTC final adds more depth to the batting department, which is crucial for the one-off game. The Indian team management will be hoping that the selection of experienced players pays off and helps them clinch the WTC title.
