Ajinkya Rahane’s return to the national team after a 16-month absence earned him high praise from former South African cricketer AB de Villiers, who commended Rahane’s solid batting technique. De Villiers noted Rahane’s excellent footwork and his ability to play the ball late, keeping it under his eyes while facing the bowlers.
Rahane displayed a composed innings in his comeback game against Australia on Day 2 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final at the Oval. AB de Villiers took to Twitter to express his admiration for Rahane’s batting performance.
“I’ve never seen Rahane move so well! Technique is sound and playing it late,” replied AB de Villiers to Harsha Bhogle’s tweet.
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Harsha Bhogle had earlier tweeted, “Once again, Jadeja looked India’s best batter and he is now a bonafide top 6 batter. And till that finger injury, Rahane looked very smooth and in excellent touch. But the top order is a concern and has to convert good-looking starts into large scores.”
Ajinkya Rahane demonstrated solidity with the bat right from the start of his innings. He forged a crucial 71-run partnership with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for the fifth wicket. The 34-year-old batsman showcased his skills, scoring 89 runs off 122 balls before the lunch break on the third day of play.
Australia had earlier posted a total of 469 runs in their first innings, aided by centuries from Travis Head and Steve Smith. Head contributed 163 runs, while Smith added 121 runs. However, Australia lost their last seven wickets for just 108 runs in the first innings, facing the Indian bowling attack.