Ricky Ponting, a famous cricketer from Australia, gave some insight into Ajinkya Rahane’s amazing comeback to red-ball cricket during the ICC World Test Championship. He said that the India batter should take the chance to extend his Test career by a couple of years.
Rahane was brought back into India’s XI for the one-off Test at The Oval after a 17-month absence. His return came after an excellent Indian Premier League season with the Chennai Super Kings, in which he scored 326 runs. It may have been a good thing that KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer were injured in the weeks leading up to the match, which made him an automatic choice.
The stylish No. 5 grabbed his chance with both hands to score the most runs (89) in India’s first game in London. Ponting thinks the 35-year-old showed enough to make sure he gets picked for the upcoming series against the West Indies in the Caribbean and beyond.
He has taken advantage of his opportunity, which is all you can do, Ponting told the ICC.
He has a real possibility to extend his Test career by a few years because, in my opinion, there are still two Test matches left in the West Indies before Rahul and Iyer return.
When Ponting played for the Delhi Capitals earlier this decade, Rahane collaborated with him for two years. Ponting, the Australia captain at the time, claims that Rahane’s attitude rapidly won him over.
He’s a polite, mild-mannered guy who also happens to be one of the most disciplined cricket players I’ve ever worked with, said Ponting.
He always arrives first for training and is the first person working out in the gym for recovery and rehab.
“I’m extremely glad to see him back out there, and after seeing him play so brilliantly (against Australia), you wonder why he hasn’t been on this India squad for the past few years.
“Isn’t it wonderful how the game has changed? Good for him. His performance in the IPL may have helped him regain his spot in the Indian Test team.
India’s new World Test Championship campaign is about to begin, and its upcoming matches against the West Indies are less than a month away. Ponting believes that India’s team managers will struggle to find room for all of their batting superstars in their starting XI.
Rahul and Iyer may not be prepared for the vacation to the Caribbean as they are still recovering from their surgery. Ishan Kishan, a young player for India, is anxiously awaiting the opportunity to compete at the Test level.
It’s a good thing I’m not picking India, said Ponting. “That’s a tough decision to make,”
Even if the condition-based selection is required, it would still be a positive development for India.
