Indian cricket team is in West Indies for a month long tour. Rohit Sharma and his men will play 2 tests and 3 ODI games. This will be followed by 5 T20 games being led by Hardik Pandya. The tour starts with the official cycle for the Indian cricket team as they get back to the grind of international cricket.
All eyes on the world cup –
Indian cricket team and its fans will be hoping the team to get into groove as the next 3 months are crucial. India, is set to host the 2023 ICC fifty over World Cup and the players will be looking to give their best in a bid to make it to the team. One of the players who has been putting up good performances with the bat is none other Ajinkya Rahane.
Aakash Chopra makes his feeling known on Rahane’s white ball hopes –
Ajinkya Rahane hasn’t played ODI cricket since 2018 when he was part of the team for the South African series. Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra was recently posed with the question of Rahane’s likely comeback to the white ball format.
Chopra while speaking on his YouTube Channel said this “Good question but it will not happen nor should it happen. Nothing against Rahane but it shows the thinking or mentality a little that what are you doing. T20Is and ODIs - I think that bus has already left”
Rahane’s elevation to vice captaincy baffles Chopra –
Ajinkya Rahane made a comeback to the Indian team after 18 months on the sidelines. The 35 year old was the lone bright spark with the bat in the World Test Championships final. Rahane was named the vice captain of the side for the upcoming test tour of West Indies.
Chopra in his YouTube Channel seemed to agree with Sourav Ganguly who questioned the move of Rahane to be appointed as the deputy skipper. Chopra said “We recently heard Dada's (Sourav Ganguly) thinking as well, that why was he made the vice-captain and before that, I had also posted a video that you were out for 18 months, made a comeback, did well and suddenly you are the vice-captain of the Indian Test team."
Rahane’s recent form –
In the WTC final, Rahane scored a fighting 89 in the 1st innings and followed it up with 46 in the 2nd innings. In the IPL 2023 season, Rahane played a crucial role in CSK winning the title for the 5th time. Rahane scored 326 runs in the 14 games he played, which was his best return for 3 years. His best of 71 came against KKR which came off 29 balls, as he scored runs with an average of 32.6 and a strike rate of 172.4. Rahane so far has played 90 ODI games and scored 2962 runs with an average of 35. The 35 year old has 3 centuries and 24 half centuries in the ODI format.