“The game plan was to bat longer” – Ajinkya Rahane after scoring 89 on his comeback game for Team India in WTC final

Ajinkya Rahane starred with the bat against Australia during the first innings of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at the Oval in London on Day 3, Friday (June 9).

The right-handed batter top scored for India on his comeback match after nearly 18 months, scoring 89 runs off 129 deliveries, including one six and 11 boundaries. During his innings, Rahane also became the 13th Indian to complete 5,000 runs in Tests.

The 35-year-old shared crucial partnerships with all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur as India scored 296 in their first innings.

Following his exceptional knock, Rahane credited his game plan as the reason behind his success and spoke about the relevance of his partnerships with Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur, which helped India stage a comeback.

Speaking to Star Sports, Ajinkya Rahane said:

“I just kept things simple and didn’t complicate anything. The game plan was to bat longer. This is a ground where you can’t stop the flow of runs. As a batsman, once you get set, the runs will keep flowing.”

He continued:

“Building a partnership was most important because batters were getting out very quickly. We [India] built partnerships with Jaddu and me, and then there was another partnership with Shardul Thakur, which was very important."

"In such a situation, it’s all about how badly you want to do well for the team. It’s a one-off final, so you have to give your best.”

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“When I made my debut then also, I had to wait for 16-18 months” – Ajinkya Rahane on his comeback

Ajinkya Rahane added that he felt very emotional once he walked out to bat for Team India after 18 months. The Mumbai batter said he backed himself to deliver for the team after a decent season in Ranji Trophy.

He stated:

“To be honest, there were a lot of emotions when I walked out to bat. I had a decent domestic season. I am feeling great batting-wise. This is not new to me. When I made my debut then also, I had to wait for 16-18 months."

Ajinkya Rahane added:

"When you play for the country, you’re always motivated. I knew I had to spend a lot of time on the crease. I was thinking about the team rather than myself.”

For the uninitiated, Ajinkya Rahane amassed 634 runs in seven games, including a couple of centuries, in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy.

As far as the match is concerned, Australia are 123/4 at stumps on Day 3 with a healthy lead of 296.

Click here to follow the WTC 2023 final scores.