WTC Final 2023: Sourav Ganguly Hopes For Ajinkya Rahane Show Against Australia At The Oval
New Delhi: Named into the Indian Test team after a long gap, veteran Ajinkya Rahane will make his opportunity count in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia next month, feels former skipper and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.
On the back of a superlative show in the domestic arena and in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, the 34-year-old has earned a Test recall after 18 months. His comeback also coincides with the fact that India will not have the services of Shreyas Iyer in the middle order due to injury.
Rahane’s job will be much more important in that Indian middle-order, more so after wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul on Friday ruled himself out of the mega clash due to a thigh injury he suffered in IPL 2023.
The WTC final is scheduled to be held from June 7-11 at the Oval in London. “I have always liked him. He has always been a good player for India,” Ganguly said on Friday on the sidelines of a promotional event.
Playing for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023, Rahane has scored 224 runs in six innings this IPL at an average of 44.80 and with an astonishing 189-plus strike-rate. “Opportunities don’t come everyday and if he gets the chance to feature in the playing XI during the WTC final, he will make the most of it. So, I wish him all the best,” said Ganguly.
Ganguly further termed India opener KL Rahul’s injury unfortunate as he has pulled out of the WTC final to undergo a thigh surgery.”It’s unfortunate, I have read that it’s an injury that will keep him out of the IPL as well as the WTC final. Only physios can tell the extent of the injury. Injuries are part of the sport.
“These boys keep playing all the years, so injuries will happen. So, I wish him a speedy recovery,” Ganguly said.