After a stellar IPL season, Ajinkya Rahane eyes this landmark
Indian middle-order batter Ajinkya Rahane had a phenomenal run in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni showed faith in Rahane, which turned out to be fruitful for him. As a result, Rahane earned a spot in the Indian squad for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final. He now eyes the 5,000-run mark in Test cricket.
Why does this story matter?
Once India's mainstay middle-order Test batter, Rahane fell out of favor with the selectors last year. However, an impressive domestic campaign coupled with some pivotal knocks in IPL 2023 turned the tables. Not only did Rahane power the Super Kings, but he reclaimed his spot in the Indian Test squad. He would want to replicate his run in the WTC final.
Rahane to become 13th Indian with over 5,000 Test runs
Rahane had been the backbone of India's middle order in Tests. He has represented India in 82 Tests so far. Rahane has racked up 4,931 runs in Test cricket at an average of 39.52. He is set to become the 13th Indian batter with over 5,000 runs in the format. Rahane is closing in on surpassing Kapil Dev (5,248) on the runs tally.
Rahane could score his ninth Test ton overseas
Rahane has slammed as many as eight of his 12 total Test tons away from home. By scoring one more in England, he will break a tie with Sourav Ganguly (8). Rahane will then join Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohinder Amarnath, Mohammad Azharuddin, and VVS Laxman (9 each). Notably, Rahane is yet to score a century since the 2020/21 Boxing Day Test.
Rahane will play his 50th Test overseas
As has been the case, Rahane is India's go-to batter in foreign conditions. He will become the 15th player to feature in 50 Test matches overseas for India. Rahane currently has 3,223 runs from 49 away Tests. His average of 40.28 in foreign Tests is higher than that at home (35.73). Rahane has 1,644 runs from 32 Tests at home.
Rahane has over 1,000 Test runs against Australia
India will face Australia in the ICC WTC final at the Oval, starting June 7. Notably, Australia are the only side against whom Rahane has over 1,000 Test runs. The tally includes seven 50+ scores (two centuries).
Rahane set to complete 100 catches in Tests
Besides his batting, Rahane is known for his slip-catching. He is one away from completing 100 catches in Test cricket. Only Rahul Dravid (209), Laxman (135), Sachin Tendulkar (115), Virat Kohli (109), Sunil Gavaskar (108), and Azharuddin (105) have taken 100 catches for India (Tests). Rahane remains the only player to have taken over seven catches in a Test (8 against SL, 2015).
The resurgence of Rahane!
As stated, the 2023 IPL season saw the resurgence of Rahane. The injury of Ben Stokes gave Rahane an extended run. Rahane didn't disappoint and struck the pacers at a staggering 232.39, the third-highest for any batter in a season (minimum 100 runs vs pacers). Overall, Rahane smacked 326 runs from 14 matches at a strike rate of 172.49.
