Ajinkya Rahane recalled as Indian squad for WTC final against Australia announced

Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane has been named in the Indian Test squad for the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) against Australia, which will be played at The Oval in London from June 7.

The former Indian vice-captain was stripped of his post ahead of the tour of South Africa in 2021-22, before being left out of the setup altogether post that rubber. He could return to the No. 5 spot for the WTC final, with Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant out with injuries.

There were no other major shocks or surprises in the squad named, although Suryakumar Yadav has been dropped despite playing a lone Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

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#TeamIndia squad for ICC World Test Championship 2023 Final announced.

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Shardul Thakur, who last featured in the rescheduled fifth Test against England in Birmingham last year, has also earned a recall. There was no room, however, for wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, with Axar Patel joining Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin as the spin-bowling all-rounder options.

Indian squad for WTC final against Australia: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat

Ajinkya Rahane has been in red-hot form in IPL 2023

While it isn't known if his form in IPL 2023 had a role in his selection for the WTC final, Rahane's recent purple patch has caught the attention of the cricketing world. Batting at No. 3 for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he has shown a reinvention of his T20 batting, striking 209 runs in 5 innings so far at a belligerent strike rate of 199.05.

India will be playing their second successive WTC final, having also played the inaugural one in Southampton in 2021. They went down to New Zealand by eight wickets that time around.

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It is worth observing that no vice-captain has been named in the Indian squad for the WTC final. KL Rahul held the post until he was left out of the XI midway through the series against Australia.

With Cheteshwar Pujara filling in for a bit as skipper Rohit Sharma was off the field during the fourth Test in Ahmedabad, he could be the man to deputize should the need arise.

What do you make of Ajinkya Rahane's recall to the Indian Test side? Have your say in the comments section below!

Also read: 3 former KKR players who have done well for CSK in the IPL