Ajinkya Rahane revealed the biggest challenge for Indian batters ahead of WTC final 2023 (BCCI Twitter)
Ajinkya Rahane dedicated the IPL 2023 win to CSK skipper MS Dhoni and opened up on the biggest challenge for Indian batters ahead of the WTC final 2023
With less than a week to go for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, Ajinkya Rahane is raring to go after earning a call-up to the Test side following break of more than a year. Rahane’s last Test appearance for the Indian team was against South Africa at the start of 2022, before which he was elevated as India’s vice-captain as well.
But as fate would have it, the veteran batter was later dropped from the side following a string of disappointing performances, however, he has returned like a man reborn, scoring at a blistering strike rate of of over 232 runs during the IPL 2023 season.
The 34-year-old dedicated Chennai Super Kings’ triumph earlier this season to skipper MS Dhoni and also said that it was a special feeling winning the IPL trophy with CSK.
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“It was a great game, the final was a really special victory for all of us, we said that this was for Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni). I personally, really enjoyed playing for CSK, the way I was batting throughout the season, even before the IPL I had a very good domestic season so batting wise I was feeling very good,” Rahane told BCCI.tv ahead of the WTC final against Australia.
The veteran batter is set to return after a long gap of 16 months, and during that period, after he was dropped, the stalwart revealed that the role of his family and their support was very important.
“It was an emotional moment for me. When I got dropped the support from my family was massive. The dream was still to play for India and that’s what I told my family. I worked hard on the fitness, my game plan and everything. Went back to domestic cricket, had a very good domestic season for Mumbai. And when I got a call the moment was really emotional for me and for my family as they backed me a lot, they supported me a lot to go through that period, two years,” he added.
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With his confidence restored, Rahane is looking to put his best foot forward for the India vs Australia marquee clash which will be played at the Oval in London from June 7-11.
Talking about the biggest challenge in England, Rahane said that it’s important not just to adjust to the pitch, but also to the conditions as a whole in the UK.
“Playing in England I always feel you have to see the conditions well, generally we always look at the wicket but in England, you have to look upstairs, if it’s cloudy then you know its favourable for the bowlers, if its sunny then it gets better to bat on.”
“You have to be in the moment, as I always feel in England whether you bat fifty plus or whatever, it’s all about playing in the moment and playing to the conditions. Once you’re in the middle it’s all about backing your instincts and backing your gameplan,” the middle-order batter added.