Ajinkya Rahane’s form in IPL 2023 puts him in contention for World Test Championship final spot

Few days before the start of the ongoing Indian Premier League season as Chennai Super Kings played an intra-squad practice fixture, one of the notable absentees was Ajinkya Rahane. In a game where the likes of Shivam Dube, Devon Conway and Moeen Ali batted twice, Rahane didn’t get an opportunity to bat. Instead, he headed to the practice facilities at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where he faced a few throwdowns and batted against net bowlers. He cut a lonely figure that day as he quietly trained away from all the attention as even the support staff were engrossed in what was happening in the middle.That looks like a long time ago now. After 33 matches into the IPL, Rahane is sitting at the top of the strike rate charts (189) for any batsman who has faced a minimum of 100 deliveries. This is a season when Rahane has not just taken the IPL storm, when one least expected him to, but has also served a timely reminder that he is not content with what he has had.After being dropped from the Test side in 2022, between Cheteshwar Pujara and Rahane, it looked as if the latter would be the first to make a comeback. Between the two, Rahane seemed to be in better touch and space, but Pujara took the County route and returned to the Test squad within four months.
It has been more than a year since Rahane was part of the national team set-up. At 34, going back to the domestic set up and proving himself again wasn’t easy, especially as he hadn’t played on the circuit for long. There are always other batsmen who have replaced you in the Test team and there are a few young turks knocking on the door with an axe in hand.
Yet, Rahane was prepared to go through the grind again, travelling the length and breadth of India, starting with the Duleep Trophy in September and scoring three centuries in first-class cricket, including a double hundred. A tally of 634 runs may not earn a recall, but it showed Rahane was not going to move on either.
While going through the domestic grind would have helped him return to the basics, through the IPL, Rahane is now showing he can improvise and reinvent his game. To consider picking Rahane in the squad for the World Test Championship final on the basis of his IPL performance would be an injustice to those waiting in the pecking order, especially the likes of Sarfaraz Khan. But at a time when India will miss the services of Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Rajat Patidar, and there is a hole in the middle order, Rahane has put his name up for discussion.
Youngsters lacking
Although Sarfaraz is waiting in the wings, there are still concerns among the team management and the selectors if he can seamlessly graduate into Test cricket from the first-class game. In the IPL, he once again showed his shortcomings against pace, something that hasn’t gone unnoticed, which is why there is a feeling within the team management that playing him in the WTC final would be a huge risk. While KL Rahul could vie for a slot in the middle order, there is a chance he could even keep wicket at The Oval, as Srikar Bharat hasn’t made a convincing case for his inclusion in the XI. This is where Rahane could come in.

Apart from bringing experience to the middle order, Rahane also happens to be one of India’s best overseas performers, scoring centuries on his maiden visits to New Zealand, England, Australia and Sri Lanka (missing out on a century in South Africa four runs). Eight of his 12 Test centuries have come away from India, an aspect that highlights how quickly he adapts to conditions. The last few weeks that Rahane has spent with the Chennai Super Kings has also helped him get back to the space where he seems to be enjoying his game, where he has looked at his free-flowing best, with his hands and feet in perfect sync, helping him crunch balls on either side of the pitch. The timing, a hallmark of his batting, is back to how it was when he started.
In a couple of weeks from now, the selectors will meet to pick the squad for the WTC final against Australia. With a new WTC cycle beginning with a tour of West Indies in July, discussions are already underway about the make-up of the Test squad and putting a transition plan in place. There are a few things to deliberate over Rahane as well and the key among them is whether picking him will be taking a step back, or if they press the transition plan in place beginning the West Indies series, would it be ideal to drop the 34-year-old after recalling him for the WTC final.
But with India starting the next WTC campaign with away tours to West Indies and South Africa, the selectors also need to factor in handing opportunities to newcomers overseas. With A tours not around, the likes of Sarfaraz and Patidar haven’t got the exposure they would have hoped and the beneficiary of this could be Rahane, who seems to have found a second wind.