Ravi Shastri (Photo Source: Twitter)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 15-member squad that will feature in the summit clash of the World Test Championship (WTC), on Tuesday, April 25. While the inclusion of Ajinkya Rahane in the setup has caused quite a stir on social media, former cricketer and coach, Ravi Shastri provided a straightforward take on the squad.
The All-India Senior Selection Committee included six specialist batters in the setup as Suryakumar Yadav misses out on the forthcoming red-ball ICC event. Moreover, considering Rahane’s recent batting exploits in the ongoing IPL for CSK, the management decided to back him to feature in the WTC final.
Former cricketer and head coach, Ravi Shastri took to his social media handle to share a straightforward verdict on the squad by subtly adding a picture that includes the likes of Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Shardul Thakur.
“Best Indian team selected. Well done selectors and team management #WTCFinal2023 #TeamIndia,” captioned Shastri.
However, many fans and a few members of the cricketing fraternity have been puzzled over the move of including Rahane on the basis of his blazing IPL form. Many have also questioned the omission of Sarfaraz Khan, who relished a terrific domestic season of late.
Moreover, the batter collected 556 runs at a stunning average of 92.66 and got three tons and one half-century. Despite this, Rahane’s recent form coupled with vast experience in the big games may have been the determining factor for the management.
Speaking about Rahane’s form in the IPL, the Mumbai-born batter has redefined his approach toward the game and has produced some scintillating knocks. Rahane has got 209 runs at an aggressive strike rate of 199.05 which includes well-compiled scores of 61, 31, 37, 9, and 71* in five outings thus far. Team India lock horns with Australia for the prestigious mace at The Oval in London with action starting on June 7.