Watch: Ajinkya Rahane hits fifty with six, becomes first Indian to reach milestone in WTC final

If any Bollywood scriptwriter is asked to write an exciting comeback script, he will not be able to write the kind of script that Ajinkya Rahane is enjoying now. On Friday, on the third day of the World Test Championship final at the Kennington Oval in London, Rahane hit a six over fine leg to become the first Indian batsman to score a half-century. The chips were down for India as KS Bharath was clean bowled on the second ball of the day. But Rahane along with Shardul Thakur handled the Australian bowlers and took the score past 200.

Rahane replaced the injured Shreyas Iyer in the Test team and grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Twitter reacted like this on Rahane’s Fifty –

First Indian to score 50+

Whistle Final – Sachin Tendulkar (2000)
World Cup Final – Virender Sehwag (2003)
T20WC Final – Gautam Gambhir (2007)
WTC Final – Ajinkya Rahane (2023)*#WTCFinal— ______ (@Shebas_10dulkar) June 9, 2023

Ajinkya Rahane has been phenomenal in his comeback Test matches so far.#WTCFinal2023 https://t.co/tr8ID70T54— Suraj (@suraj_thoughts) June 9, 2023

clutch Rahane__ pic.twitter.com/NLjg3t5Ie9— Jas (@jas__74) June 9, 2023

Rahane Mochan_—Jay_ (@Mr_CupidforEver) June 9, 2023

Baseball can be a good strategy while batting in Test cricket in the current era

In this game also dominant Rahane Jadeja all three played counter-attacking innings and took their risk while batting – Virarash (@chiku218) June 9, 2023

Waiting for Rahane’s straight drive__ – VK 18__ (@Tomarv18) June 9, 2023

Ajinkya Rahane’s cover drive from Cameron Green as he reaches another Test 50 #WTCFinal2023 it was worth more than flat track bullies gil
Rohit Sharma & #Virat KohliUseless century KS Bharath didn’t even deserve to play county cricket#INDvsAUS#Ajinkya Rahane pic.twitter.com/v9ESEDWink— MTvalluvan (@MTvalluvan) June 9, 2023

#Ajinkya Rahane #WTCFinal2023
Ajinkya Rahane became the first Indian batsman to score a half-century in a WTC final.__ pic.twitter.com/AWQDoopqdM— Nilesh_ (@KeshavalaNilesh) June 9, 2023

Rahane…___
Much respect to you man! _ — Palak__ (@YuviReignsGirl) June 9, 2023

Just pure class and damn good cricket _
Ajinkya Rahane, you beauty.#WTCFinal2023 pic.twitter.com/qVUCQuQdsY— Aditya Yadav (@AdityaY84276209) June 9, 2023

#INDvAUS #AUSvsIND #WTCFinal #Ajinkya Rahane

Dravid showing Rahane’s fight to the team pic.twitter.com/Jn2yfsv7qF

— g0v!nD $#@_mA (@rishu_1809) June 9, 2023

Rahane

Inspiration

May 100 Can’t Be Anywhere in the WTC Finals

what a player, frustrated class #WTC2023finalNaidu – Bhushan (@Bhushansz) June 9, 2023

#quickbyte: Ajinkya Rahane has taken advantage of fast bowlers whenever he has bowled full (17.6%) or short (5.5%).#INDvAUS #WTC2023final #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/gQZB1UgzRW– cricket.com (@weRcricket) June 9, 2023

Welcome to Test cricket Ajinkya Rahane. First played as a proper T20 batsman for CSK and now changing his gear for Test cricket. good recovery @ajinkyarahane88 ,#INDvsAUS #WTCFinal2023 pic.twitter.com/R1BaG89e3R— Rajat Agarwal__ (@rajatag16) June 9, 2023

As the Indian batting lineup struggled against a formidable Australian bowling attack, Rahane emerged as a symbol of stability. With the top-order faltering, the team looked for a reliable anchor to revive their hopes of posting a competitive total. Rahane accepted the responsibility and rose to the occasion when it was most needed.

When faced with one of the top fast bowlers in the world, Pat Cummins, Rahane displayed his skill and composure. When Cummins bowled a short ball down the leg side, Rahane pivoted quickly and hit a powerful pull shot. The ball goes over the long leg boundary and into the stands, announcing Rahane’s comeback with a brilliant six. The shot not only completed his half-century but also marked a significant moment in his career, representing his 26th half-century in Test cricket – a testament to his experience and unwavering determination.

Rahane’s journey till this point was not easy. After an 18-month hiatus, he finally got back the opportunity to donate to the Whites. India entrusted him with the important task of stabilizing the middle order by selecting him over other talented batsmen like Surya Kumar Yadav. Rahane seized this opportunity with utmost confidence, proving to the selectors that he still has abundant contribution to offer to the team.