BCCI Turned to MS Dhoni on Ajinkya Rahane’s Selection for WTC Final: Report
Rahane has found a new version in CSK's outfit (AP Photo)
The ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has witnessed a number of players rise to the occasion and deliver some truly breathtaking performances.
However, one name that has taken many by surprise is Ajinkya Rahane, who has emerged as an unexpected standout performer for Chennai Super Kings in the tournament.
The Mumbai batter was acquired by the four-time champions during IPL 2023 mini-auction for the base price of INR 50 Lakhs and he has proven to be an excellent investment for the team so far in the cash-rich league.
Although there was some uncertainty over Rahane's place in Chennai’s starting XI, he has defied the odds and become a backbone of their batting order in the ongoing season, with 209 runs in just five innings at a strike rate of 199.
Rahane’s scintillating form in the current season has earned him a recall to the Indian Test team for the upcoming WTC final against Australia, set to be played at the Oval starting on June 7.
Here, it's worth noting that the 34-year-old was dropped from India's Test team earlier in January 2022 after a string of poor performances.
Now, reports suggest that it was MS Dhoni who recommended Rahane’s name for the selection for India’s Test team. As per a report by The Times of India, the BCCI consulted with the former Indian captain before finalising the decision.
With Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer out of contention for the WTC final, Ajinkya Rahane may find a place in India's starting XI in the WTC final.
However, his past performances at The Oval have not been up to the mark, making it a point of interest to see how he will fare if given the opportunity.
India's squad for the WTC 2021-23 final:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, K L Rahul, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat.