3 reasons why Ajinkya Rahane's selection in India's squad for WTC final is the right move

Ajinkya Rahane grabbed headlines after he was named in India's 15-man squad to face Australia in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) on Monday, April 25. The match will be played at The Oval in London from June 7.

The former vice-captain last turned out in whites during the tour of South Africa in 2021-22. A string of inconsistent displays, followed by India's defeat in the series despite taking the lead, led to his axing from the squad altogether.

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team qualified for the WTC final after winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia by a 2-1 margin last month. They will look to go one step better than last time, having lost the final of the inaugural WTC cycle to New Zealand in 2021.

Here, we assess three reasons as to why Rahane's recall is the right move.

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#1 His prior experience of playing in England

Rahane scored a century at Lord's in 2014, setting the foundation for a historic Indian victory.

There's no substitute for experience and there are no two ways about it. Rahane has been a part of three prior tours of England and has also plied his trade in the County Championship.

While Rahane's numbers in Tests in England make for modest reading - an average of 26.03 in 15 matches - he remains a fluent player of pace bowling. He has also faced the likes of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, Australia's likely pace troika for the final, on numerous occasions before.

For an occasion as momentous as the WTC final, this experience is bound to offer plenty to the Indian team and Rahane's presence hence makes sense.

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#2 The absence of a readymade replacement for Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant will be a huge absence for India in the WTC final (File image).

Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer have made it a habit to bail India out of strife in Tests, with Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin also not averse to it. Unfortunate injuries to Pant and Iyer have left the team with minimal options to choose from as far as replacing them in the playing XI is concerned.

While KL Rahul remains an option, India were always going to need another frontline batter to turn to. Suryakumar Yadav's selection for the home series against Australia raised eyebrows aplenty but even he has been dropped, while Sarfaraz Khan hasn't earned a callup to the Test squad till date.

Once again, it's the magnitude of the occasion being the WTC final, as well as the fact that this is a one-off contest, that adds merit to Rahane's selection. The team management wasn't left with many choices and couldn't gamble with the prospect of handing out a cap for the final, making the tried and tested option of Rahane a wise move.

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#3 His recent form has been excellent

While it might seem like his recall has to do with his returns in IPL 2023, Rahane also had a good outing in the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai. He tallied 634 runs from seven matches at an average of 57.63 with two massive hundreds (including a double century).

Rahane has also looked confident in the IPL and has preached the same, even stating that his best is still to come after his stunning innings against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Of course, while it is in a completely different format, there is no denying that he is in a very good headspace at this point.

With Rahane's confidence being high and the runs coming off his blade seamlessly, he may just be the tonic that India need to ensure that they bat Australia out of the WTC final. Their batting lineup has looked brittle in recent times, and Rahane's inclusion could just ease things out for this game, which will be a test of nerves if there ever was one.

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Should Ajinkya Rahane walk into India's playing XI for the WTC final against Australia? Have your say in the comments section below!