Ajinkya Rahane has been recalled to India’s Test squad for the World Test Championship final against Australia, which begins at the Oval on June 7th. The BCCI’s senior selection committee decided during a meeting on Monday evening, citing injuries to Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and Rajat Patidar as leaving gaps in the team.
Rahane, who hasn’t scored a century since the Boxing Day Test against Australia in December 2020 and was dropped from the squad after India toured South Africa in 2021/22, is having an outstanding IPL season, which may have influenced his recall.
Here, we look at three players who were selected for the Indian Test team based on their Indian Premier League performances:
3) R Ashwin
R Ashwin has become a key member of the Indian team, partly thanks to his success as a wicket-taker in the IPL. As CSK’s lead spinner, he excelled in 2010 and 2011, taking 13 wickets in 2010 and 20 wickets in 16 matches in 2011. His performance earned him a spot in the series against West Indies in 2011, where he made an immediate impact by taking nine wickets in a match on spin-friendly pitches. Since then, he has established himself as one of India’s greatest match-winners with the ball, particularly on home soil.
2) Karn Sharma
Karn Sharma was surprisingly given his debut against Australia in Adelaide in 2014. He had been a regular in IPL teams and had also performed consistently for Railways. His ability to maintain a consistent line and length and bowl economical spells convinced Virat Kohli to give him a chance in the team. However, his debut was not entirely successful. In that match, he bowled 49 overs and took only four wickets while conceding 238 runs.
He never quite looked like a Test bowler as Australia piled on the runs. This match is best remembered for Virat Kohli’s first time leading India and scoring centuries in both innings. India fell short by 48 runs, and Karn has not yet played another Test match.
1) Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane was given many opportunities in the format and even led India to a historic victory in Australia, with his last century coming in Melbourne. However, after a series of low scores and a loss of confidence, he was dropped from the Test squad. Rahane returned to first-class cricket and showed signs of regaining his form. The Chennai Super Kings signed him for 2023, and has since demonstrated another aspect of his game. After scoring 634 runs for Mumbai in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy, including two centuries (one of which was a double hundred) in seven matches, Rahane has been in excellent form for CSK, scoring 209 runs in five matches with a strike rate of 199.