Ajinkya Rahane (BCCI Photo)
Former Australia head coach made a startling revelation about an old conversation with Steve Waugh regarding India batter Ajinkya Rahane
As India and Australia battle it out in the World Test Championship final, Ajinkya Rahane has proved to be a thorn in the side of the Pat Cummins-led side. The batter was the highest scorer for India with 89 off 129 deliveries. Now, former Aussie coach Justin Langer has made a sensational revelation about the India batter.
Justin Langer, who coached the Australian side during the 2021/22 Border-Gavaskar series said that he had received a call from former captain Steve Waugh. The 52-year-old revealed that he had a conversation with Waugh about Ajinkya Rahane. Steve Waugh revealed that he was mentoring Rahane, which raised a bit of a “red flag” for Langer.
“Before the series started Steve Waugh, my hero, he rang me and said I was going to be transparent. I wanna be honest I’m having some conversations with Rahane…doing a bit of mentoring him leading to that series,” Justin Langer said.
“Not Steve Waugh, the iceman and we saw that calmness in Rahane, we saw the way he played in that series and when I knew he was talking to Steve, it was red flags for me,” the former Australia coach added.
Langer’s fears proved to be well-founded. Ajinkya Rahane inspired an injury-laden Indian side to a fierce comeback from the series. The team was also reeling from the departure of Virat Kohli, but Rahane did not let the situation bog him down. At the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, he led the Indian side as the stand-in captain. The right-handed batter scored a century to his name and emerged as the Player of the Match.
Under Ajinkya Rahane’s leadership, India managed to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. They emerged victorious in the series 2-1.
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Ajinkya Rahane in the WTC final:
Ajinkya Rahane earned his Test recall after a sensational season in the domestic season and the Indian Premier League. The right-handed batter has continued to be in top form in the ongoing WTC final. Though Rahane missed out on a century in the second innings, his knock managed to revive a struggling Indian team.
The Rohit Sharma-led side was tottering at 71/4 when Rahane managed to lead their fightback with his sensational knock. He also managed to breach the 5000-run mark in Tests, becoming the 13th Indian batter to achieve the milestone.