"Won't Get A Better Team Man...": Ravi Shastri All Praise For CSK Star

14.04.2023 - 04:57 sports.ndtv.com

Senior batter Ajinkya Rahane, who has been sidelined by the national selectors for quite some time now, roared back to form for Chennai Super Kings after he smashed a fiery half-century against Mumbai Indians.

It was followed by a quick 31-run knock off just 19 balls against Rajasthan Royals, where CSK faced a defeat by three runs on the last ball.

Rahane has been making headlines due to his brilliant short selection and fiery batting performances. Recently, former India head coach Ravi Shastri praised the 34-year-old batter, reminiscing about his days of working with Rahane during India's 2-1 triumph over Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2021.

Rahane was appointed the skipper of Team India, which was squaring off against Australia in the four-match Test series in 2021, as the regular captain Virat Kohli had to leave the tour midway due to family reasons. "I loved Ajinkya Rahane's innings.

cricket India Cricket Team Chennai Super Kings Virat Kohli Ravi Shastri Ajinkya Rahane Australia India Chennai

Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir are two very big names in world cricket. However, they have a history of on-field altercations in the IPL. The latest one happened during an IPL 2023 game on Monday between the Gambhir mentored-Lucknow Super Giants and Kohli's team Royal Challengers Bangalore. RCB won the low-scoring match as Kohli could be seen celebrating animatedly the LSG batters' dismissals. He even had an argument with LSG player Naveen-ul-Haq, though it is not clear who started the fight. Then things looked like going out of hand as Gambhir had a heated exchange with Kohli after the match ended.

On If MS Dhoni Will "Come Out Of Retirement For WTC Final" Suggestion, Ravi Shastri's Clear Take

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced the Indian squad for the World Test Championship final against Australia, to be played in the second week of June in England. The return of Ajinkya Rahane in the Test fold was the biggest news. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was pleased with the squad. However, he had one question regarding the wicketkeeper's position. It is worth noting that India's regular wicketkeeper in Test cricket, Rishabh Pant, is out of action since a horrific car crash he met with in December last year. In the southpaw's absence during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in February-March, it was Bharat who kept wickets for India while Rahul was dropped following his poor returns in the first two Tests of the four-match series.

"They Must Have Been In The Jungle...": Ravi Shastri Mocks People Linking Ajinkya Rahane's WTC Final Selection To IPL Performance

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri put his complete support behind the selectors' decision to include Ajinkya Rahane in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final squad and said that an experienced campaigner like him can prove valuable in an on-off encounter. India will take on Australia in the WTC Final at the Oval on June 7 and incidentally, Rahane's last century came against Australia at Melbourne back in 2020 which proved crucial for his side. Shastri said that Rahane's IPL form has been good but it is his domestic cricket form that catapulted him into the Test squad.

'Wasn't Invited To A Single Selection Meeting': Ravi Shastri's Huge Revelation

Former Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri revealed that he has not attended a single selection meeting during his two stints with the side. Shastri had a seven-year tenure with the national team between 2014 and 2021 – first as the team director and then as the head coach of the team. He was succeeded by Rahul Dravid after India's elimination from the 2021 T20 World Cup. In a recent interview with ESPNCricinfo, he was asked about how the selection process actually takes place in real life and his answer left even the host of the chat show surprised.

Expected Virat Kohli To Lead India When Rohit Sharma Was Injured, Ravi Shastri's Honest Admission

Virat Kohli's unfulfilling exit as India's captain from all three formats of the game did feel like a bad breakup story. With the cricketing world still trying to understand what transpired between India's finest Test captain to date and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), there remain those who are still wondering if there's a way for Kohli to return as India's captain for one last match. Though his return as Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper, even on a temporary basis, gave fans something to cheer about, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has admitted that he expected Kohli to lead when Rohit was injured for the rescheduled Birmingham Test against England.

Chennai Super Kings Predicted XI vs Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2023: Will Ben Stokes Return For CSK?

Chennai Super Kings will be looking to consolidate their spot at the top of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 table when they came on Rajasthan Royals in a crucial encounter in Jaipur on Thursday. The MS Dhoni-led side has been extremely impressive in the competition till now and they grabbed the top spot with a comprehensive victory over Kolkata Knight Riders. Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube were the star performers with the bat while Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana came good with the ball as the four-time champions looked extremely comfortable in that clash.