Cricket

'Aa gaya credit chor' - Fans react as Ajinkya Rahane's inclusion in Test Championship squad reportedly done on MS Dhoni's recommendation

Ajinkya Rahane's selection in the Test Championship squad was reportedly influenced by MS Dhoni. Here's how fans reacted.

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Daniel S
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MS Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane, India

MS Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane, India (Source: Twitter)

Ajinkya Rahane, a batsman for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has been in outstanding form for IPL 2023. The Mumbai-born hitter has scored 209 runs in the T20 league's first five games. His strike rate of 199.04 has stood out, though. Rahane has also reached two fifties this season, emerging as the Super Kings team's pleasant surprise. The 34-year-old was recently chosen by the selectors for the India side for the Test Championships final against Australia at The Oval in London. Rahane's domestic and IPL cricket performance played a significant role in his selection.

Numerous questions have also been raised by Rahane's inclusion in the Indian Test team. The critics think Sarfaraz Khan would have been a better choice than Rahane. The Times of India reported that MS Dhoni may be to blame for Rahane's return to the national team. Before recalling Rahane for the Test Championships Final, the Indian team management and selection committee reportedly sought MS Dhoni's input.

'Best Indian team selected. Well done, selectors and team management' – Ravi Shastri

For those unaware, Rahane scored 634 runs at a respectable average of 57 in just 7 Ranji Trophy games. He followed it up by putting on an outstanding performance in the current IPL, wowing everyone—not just the selectors—more than his runs.

The team chosen to compete against Australia in the World Team Cup final from June 7 to June 11 pleases former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri. He posted images from a Test match of Rahane, Shardul Thakur, and Rohit Sharma and wrote: "Best Indian team selected. Well done, selectors and team management #WTCFinal2023 #TeamIndia."

Sunil Gavaskar also praised the return of veteran warrior Rahane at the same time. Gavaskar stated that Rahane's selection had more to do with his domestic cricket success than just the IPL. "That was the only change needed for the Indian side. They needed a replacement for Shreyas Iyer. Ajinkya Rahane finds himself in the WTC squad, not because of his current IPL form; he was in a pretty decent form in the Ranji Trophy. He did very well for Mumbai in the domestic season. The question now is, in the final eleven, who's going to be playing? Whether it will be KS Bharat, the wicket-keeper or KL Rahul. We'll just have to wait and see," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

Here's how fans reacted:

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