The rise, fall and rise again of Ajinkya Rahane; Why his return to Tests should be lauded

Ajinkya Rahane made a brilliant comeback to international cricket in the ongoing WTC final against Australia at the Oval. Earlier, Rahane became the first Indian batsman to score a half-century in the WTC final's history. He came to bat when India were in a difficult position after losing their top order early. Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Virat Kohli all got dismissed for low scores, putting India in a tough spot. Rahane then forged a crucial partnership with Ravindra Jadeja to avoid yet another collapse.

After Nathan Lyon removed Jadeja for 48 off 51 balls, KS Bharat joined Rahane in the middle. The duo finished the day with India reeling at 151/5 in 38 overs. Rahane and Bharat remained unbeaten at scores of 29 and 5 runs respectively. Bharat, however, got dismissed in the first over of Day 3, making Rahane the only proper batter left in the lineup. Rahane then started to rebuild India's innings with Shardul Thakur as the duo scored more than 100 runs between them.

Also Read: WTC Final, IND Vs AUS Live Score Day 3

Rahane scores 5000 Test runs

Rahane also reached 5000 Test runs in the process. He became the 13th Indian batter to score 5000 Test runs for India. Also, note that Rahane was given out when he was batting at 17 on Day 2 of the match but the decision was overturned because of a no-ball. Shardul Thakur also survived in an identical manner on Day 3 of the WTC final. Rahane was eventually dismissed by Pat Cummins immediately after lunch. Cameron Green took a brilliant catch at the slip to send Rahane back for 89 off 129 balls.

Also Read: ''Why Not Saha Or Ishan?': KS Bharat Gets Panned For Consistently Poor Batting Display

The rise, fall, and rise again of Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane's ascent in Test cricket began with an exceptional century he scored in the second Test match against Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in 2020-21. Following the first Test, where India suffered a disastrous batting collapse, Rahane assumed the role of stand-in captain in the absence of Virat Kohli. Leading from the front, he played a remarkable innings, helping India level the series 1-1. India went on to win the Test series 2-1 under the leadership of Rahane. 

However, Rahane's form waned in the subsequent home series against England, and his performance in the away series against the same opponent was rather average. In the last World Test Championship final in 2021, Rahane contributed 49 runs in the first innings. Despite his efforts, India succumbed to an 8-wicket defeat against New Zealand. Consequently, Rahane was excluded from the Test side in January 2022 after the series against South Africa.

Rahane's selection for the WTC final 2023 was based on his impressive domestic form and his noteworthy performances for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2023. During the recently-concluded season of the Indian Premier League, Rahane exhibited significant improvement with the bat, contributing to Chennai's fifth title triumph in the tournament's history.

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