After more than a year away from the Indian Test team, veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane is focused on replicating his IPL successes in the World Test Championship final against Australia. Rahane described the comeback as an emotional experience for him and his family and expressed his utmost joy at rejoining the Indian team.
As such, Rahane was asked who his favourite travelling partner was among the team when in the UK. Rahane replied with his skipper, Rohit Sharma’s name. The batter’s response has garnered responses on Twitter with fans reacting plentifully.
After a successful domestic campaign and a standout performance in the just-ended IPL 2023, Rahane will rejoin India’s 15-man Test team for the match against Australia at The Oval. Rahane led Chennai Super Kings to victory in the IPL in 2023 with 326 runs while averaging a remarkable 172.49.
‘Really happy to be back with the Indian team after 18-19 months’ – Ajinkya Rahane
“Really happy to be back with the Indian team after 18-19 months. This is something really special for me. I just want to keep continuing my batting form, don’t want to think too much about the format, T20, or Test cricket. The way I am batting right now, I don’t want to complicate things, the more I keep it simple, it will be better. It was an emotional moment for me. When I got dropped, the support from my family was massive, really important,” Ajinkya Rahane said after being called up to the Indian Test side for the WTC final.
In addition, Rahane, who hadn’t participated in a Test match since January 2022, scored a match-winning 71 runs off of just 29 balls in a match against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Rahane talked about his absence and how he continued to toil in the Ranji Trophy, finishing the year with 634 runs in 11 innings, two hundreds, and an average of 57.63. Rahane said that his ambition to rejoin the Indian team was what kept him going.
“Playing for India matters a lot to me. I worked hard on my fitness, my batting, and my game plan, went back to domestic cricket, and had a very good domestic season for Mumbai. When I got the call, that moment was really emotional for me and my family as well,” he concluded.
Here’s how fans reacted:
No one rates chokli
— rohit45 (@ro45___stan) June 3, 2023
Rohit Sharma is loved by his every friends but some chintu will not accept it !
— Captain Sparrow. (@CapSparrowX45) June 3, 2023
All this for a place in the WTC Final playing xi pic.twitter.com/0ULwFmyuiv
— KhabriBhai (@RealKhabriBhai) June 3, 2023
That's how you suck up to the captain ?
— sn (@stonedpuffin) June 3, 2023
2 Dharavi slums??
— Abhi (@Abhi96532130) June 3, 2023
Masth masth restaurant pata hoga Rohit ko isiliye
— Chandru Stan | ? (@Extra_covers17) June 3, 2023
Bro wants chance in playing 11
— Shaurya (@Kohli_Dewotee) June 3, 2023
Andar tak le le Rohit ka ???
— Kc (@kohliception) June 3, 2023
