Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has backed the selection of Ajinky Rahane for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. The latter makes a comeback in whites after a gap of more than 15 months, replacing Shreyas Iyer who is currently nursing a back injury.
With his selection coming at a time when he is roaring in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the fans have lashed out at the BCCI for making Rahane’s IPL performance a criterion to pick him back in the Test team.
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In his latest YouTube video, Harbhajan said the BCCI has picked an experienced and technically-sound batter as Iyer’s replacement.
“He has captained India in so many matches and is a brilliant player as well. He has great technique. I feel the decision has been taken keeping in mind his present form and hence has been recalled because Shreyas Iyer is still not part of the team," Harbhajan said in his latest YouTube video.
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“And with Iyer absent, it serves as an opportunity for Rahane and it’s a big match. He is a big player as well and I hope he gives a big performance to justify the selection. I support this selection 100 percent and I feel it is a great decision. There was actually no other solution other than this," he said.
IPL 2023: Purple Cap Complete List of Batters with Most Runs, Check here
An inconsistent run led Rahane out of India’s Test set-up after the 2021 South Africa tour. He wasn’t the only big-ticket player to be axed from the side. Veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara was also excluded when the BCCI rolled out the squad for Sri Lanka Tests at home. Though he managed a quick comeback on the back of a rollicking county stint, Rahane was still out of favour.
The former vice-captain made his way back to the Indian dressing room after a decent Ranji Trophy season for Mumbai. Leading the 41-time champion side, Rahane score over 600 runs in the season including two daddy hundreds, against Hyderabad and Assam.
So far in the IPL 2023, Rahane has scored 209 runs in just five innings for CSK at a staggering strike rate of 199.05.
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