Why was Rahane selected? With young guns injured, out of form or unconvincing, selectors forced to go with old guard in WTC final

The squad for India’s World Test Championship final looks more like a last dance for many who have been part of the team for over a decade now. recalling Ajinkya Rahane for the final to be played against Australia at The Oval from June 7, the selectors have given an opportunity for senior pros, who have been instrumental in India’s rise to the No.1 ranking in Tests, a chance to win the ultimate crown.
Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara in action for India. (File Photo/BCCI)
In a selection meet where most names were easy to choose, the one deliberation was on Rahane. It is understood that apart from him, there was discussion about including Abhimanyu Easwaran as well, but they have gone with the experienced batsman for the big-ticket event as there is a strong possibility that he might be needed in the XI.
While Rahane’s inclusion has led to questions as to whether he was picked solely on his performance in the Indian Premier League, as reported this newspaper on Tuesday, he has benefited immensely due to the injury situation. With Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant injured, the middle order appeared on shaky grounds even during the Test series against Australia where the all-rounders – Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel – bailed them out.

Best Indian team selected. Well done selectors and team management 🇮🇳 #WTCFinal2023 #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/olIK46GO96
— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) April 25, 2023
There’s no possibility of playing all three in the final and if the conditions turn out to be typically English, there is every chance only Jadeja could make the XI. It meant the selectors were looking for someone to lend stability in the middle order.
Lack of options
While Madhya Pradesh’s Rajat Patidar has been in the wings, he is down with an Achilles Heel injury and is expected to face a lengthy lay-off. With Suryakumar Yadav – a dubious call for the Tests against Australia – not fitting the bill, the other option on the table was Sarfaraz Khan, who has scored a bucketful of runs in domestic circuit.
Although Sarfaraz has been prolific on the domestic circuit in varied conditions, there are still doubts about his ability to front up to pacers. It is an aspect that even the team management has raised concerns over and although he scored an unbeaten 71 for India A in an unofficial Test against South Africa A in Bloemfontein, there is a thought that he should play more A series so that he makes a smooth transition to the international level.
With Hanuma Vihari not having any competitive games behind him since fracturing his hand in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Madhya Pradesh, it came down to Rahane. Although the 34-year-old had tallied 634 runs in the last Ranji Trophy campaign scoring two centuries, there were deliberations as to whether choosing him will signal the team taking a step backwards.
Hanuma Vihari. (File)
The three first-class centuries that Rahane has scored since being dropped from the Indian team after the tour of South Africa in 2022 have come against North-East Zone (Duleep Trophy), Assam and Hyderabad. While these may not warrant a comeback, with the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, Rahane has shown he has got the confidence back in his game, which was missing when he was dropped. He has been one of the standout performers and more than the runs and the strike rate, it is his application and adaptability to evolve his game that has earned the recall.
Lack of A tours
Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara were dropped in February 2021 citing transition, but India have gone back to the two in the space of a year, which in many ways sheds light on their bench strength.
During the Ravi Shastri-Virat Kohli era, much of India’s success was attributed to the bench strength where players who walked into the Test side were able to seamlessly make the transition from domestic to international cricket. The experience they gained out of A tours to SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) proved invaluable. The likes of Pujara, Rahane, KL Rahul, Pant, Shubman Gill, Axar, Washington Sundar, Vihari and Shreyas have all benefited from it.

However, since the onset of the pandemic, A tours have become few and far between, with India touring only South Africa in 2021 and Bangladesh in 2022. In between, they had a home series against New Zealand A, but don’t have anything lined up in the immediate future. With a new World Test Championship cycle beginning after the final at The Oval, India’s team management and selectors will have to take a call about the transition at some point.
If they don’t, it could come back to bite them as England have already made rapid strides in Tests and are changing the landscape with the onset of Bazball. After seeing how they fell behind England in limited-overs cricket, it is pertinent that India take necessary calls for the Test team and bringing back the A tour programmes would be essential. It is understood that the team management and selectors have identified the likes of Vihari, Patidar, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad as options for the next WTC cycle. With Sarfaraz and Easwaran also in the mix, having A tours back would not only give them exposure but will also make them match-ready when the likes of Rohit Sharma, Pujara and Rahane make way.
Rahane’s inclusion might be for a one-off Test as selectors have chosen horses for courses. But given the options or the lack of it, don’t be surprised if the experienced pros get a prolonged run.