Ajinkya Rahane last played a Test in January 2022 against South Africa before being dropped. The Border-Gavaskar winning captain has scored 4931 runs in 82 matches at an average of 38.52 with 12 centuries and 25 half-centuries. With Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant injured Rahane’s experience could be valuable at numbers 5 & 6. However, there are also arguments against his inclusion in the squad for WTC Final. Here, we look at 3 such reasons:
1) His record in England
Despite being recalled for his experience in English conditions, Ajinkya Rahane’s record in the country is unimpressive, with 729 runs in 15 matches at an average of 26.04. His record at the Oval is worse, with 55 runs in 6 innings and failing to make an impact in the last two tours (2018 & 2021).
2) He’s not among the top performers in Ranji
In the Ranji Trophy, Ajinkya Rahane scored 634 runs in seven matches at an average of 57.64. However, most of his runs came against lower-ranked opposition, and several of his teammates averaged higher. His form in Indian conditions may not be the best indicator for a one-off final in England. Cheteshwar Pujara returned to the team after consistent performances in county cricket last season.
3) He’s not a great precedent for long term
Rahane’s recall may be a stop-gap move for the final, but it does not reward consistency at the domestic level. Sarfaraz Khan has been the most consistent batter in domestic cricket since 2019. He scored 556 runs in 9 innings at an average of 92.67 in the Ranji Trophy this season.
Suryakumar Yadav was dropped from the playing 11 after just one inning on debut in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, creating confusion among players vying for the same spot. Why wasn’t Rahane picked for the series if he wasn’t good enough? Without proper backing, immediate results are difficult to expect.
