“Many Of Them Had Written Him Off,” Sourav Ganguly Hails Ajinkya Rahane For A Staggering Comeback In Tests Following Heroics At The Oval

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly lavished rich praise on Ajinkya Rahane for his sensational performance in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final against India at The Oval. He said that many had written him off but he fought well despite wickets falling at the other end. 

Ajinkya Rahane played a magnificent knock in the all-important ICC WTC Final. When the chips were down and the odds were against him, he stood tall and became the backbone of the Indian team. 

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Ajinkya Rahane exhibited his class and played some wonderful shots that saw him putting Australia under immense pressure. The right-hander first stitched a crucial 71-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja (48) and then build 109 runs partnership with Shardul Thakur (51). 

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Ajinkya Rahane, who is making his comeback into the Indian team after 18 months, proved that he belongs there on the big stage. He showed great grit against the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Scott Boland and ended with the knock of 89 runs in 129 balls to take India close to Australia’s score and helped them avoid the follow-on.  

Sourav Ganguly hailed Ajinkya Rahane for making a brilliant comeback after 18 months. He pointed out that even he would’ve written himself off but he made a strong comeback with his knock and will be proud of himself. Speaking during the lunch break, he said: 

“How good it is, after 18 months. He (Rahane) was away for 18 months from Test cricket, Many of them had written him off and probably he himself. It is not easy in Indian cricket as a batter to come back and make a statement. I think it is tremendous. 

“There have been many comebacks in the past but not after such a long period. He was magnificent. He fought hard despite wickets falling at the other end. He will be extremely proud of what he has done till lunch.”

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ICC World Test Championship Final: “He has batted well for India,” Sourav Ganguly Praises Ajinkya Rahane 

Sourav Ganguly further said that Ajinkya Rahane sent a message to the dressing about how to bat on the surface on like this. He also lauded Shardul Thakur for his brilliant half-century. He elaborated: 

“He showed a lot to the dressing room that if you apply and if you have a little bit of luck which India has, you will be able to bat on this pitch, a lot of credit to Rahane, he was magnificent and Shardul Thakur as well. He has batted well for India. It’s a good fight for India.” 

After ending their innings with a total of 296 runs, India started the second innings on high as they chipped in three wickets. It’s safe to say that Australia are quite ahead in the game but wickets here could keep them in the game.

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