Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly lavished rich praise on Ajinkya Rahane for his sensational performance in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia at The Oval. He said that many had written him off, but he fought well despite wickets falling at the other end. In the crucial WTC 2023 Final, when the going got tough and the odds were heavily stacked against him, Rahane delivered an outstanding knock
India, who were chasing 469 runs, had a terrible start, losing their top four batters in short succession, and they were in serious trouble at 71/4. It looked like the opposition would wrap the innings by derailing India's batting unit. Ajinkya Rahane, though, played a spoilsport to their plans and played terrific cricket. The right-handed batter initially created an important 71-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja (48), which was followed by a 109-run partnership with Shardul Thakur (51), which was crucial.
After his knock, former BCCI President Ganguly praised Rahane for making a brilliant comeback to Test cricket after 18 months. He pointed out that even Rahane would’ve written himself off but eventually made a strong comeback with his knock and must be proud of himself.
“How good it is, after 18 months. He (Rahane) was away for 18 months from Test cricket, Many of them had written him off and probably he himself. It is not easy in Indian cricket as a batter to come back and make a statement. I think it is tremendous. There have been many comebacks in the past but not after such a long period. He was magnificent. He fought hard despite wickets falling at the other end. He will be extremely proud of what he has done till lunch," Ganguly told on Star Sports.
Shardul Thakur has batted well for India: Ganguly
Ganguly also praised Shardul Thakur for his outstanding half century. Notably, Thakur notched up his third consecutive fifty at the venue and played a key role in stabilising India's innings.
“He showed a lot to the dressing room that if you apply and if you have a little bit of luck which India have, you will be able to bat on this pitch, a lot of credit to Rahane, he was magnificent and Shardul Thakur as well. He has batted well for India. It’s a good fight for India," Ganguly added further.
Rahane displayed on the biggest platform that he belongs there, as he made his return to the Indian team after an absence of 18 months. With a knock of 89 runs in 129 balls, he helped India get close to Australia's score and prevent the follow-on by demonstrating amazing drive against the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Scott Boland.
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