Former India coach Ravi Shastri is “glad” the selectors have valued Ajinkya Rahane’s experience in picking him for the WTC final against Australia at The Oval from June 7-11. He underlined Rahane’s desire to play first-class cricket and the runs he made there as one of the key differentiators.

Shastri told ESPNcricinfo –

“I’m so glad he’s made it to the side. He batted beautifully in these two-three games he’s played in the IPL, has looked in great touch. And let’s not forget the experience he has. The moment Shreyas Iyer was injured, you had to look in that direction.”

Rahane’s spot had been under scrutiny after runs dried up post his heroics on the Australia tour in 2020-21, where he led India to their second-straight Test series win amid several challenges posed by injuries and Covid protocols.

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Shastri further said –

“People think he’s just played three IPL games and that’s why he’s in the side. They must have been on holiday for six months when he was playing first-class cricket. They must’ve been somewhere in the jungle where there’s no contact with anyone in the world. When you go six months into a holiday, you miss those 600 runs.”