The Board of Cricket Control for India (BCCI) has finally announced India’s much-awaited squad for the upcoming WTC Final against the gigantic Australian side. Rohit Sharma will continue to lead the side that battles it out for supremacy on June 7 at the Oval in London.
Notably, a surprise change in India’s frontline squad was observed during the BCCI’s announcement. Ajinkya Rahane, who last played a Test match in January 2022 has been named in the side after his miraculous stint in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League 2023. Rahane stunned the entire cricketing fraternity with his explosive batting for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Rahane has scored 209 runs in 5 matches with an exceptional average of 52.25 and a commendable strike rate of 199.
On the other hand, promising domestic talent Sarfaraz Khan was once again ignored during the selection process. Sarfaraz has consistently proved his caliber in the red-ball format by amassing record-breaking scores in the Ranji Trophy.
Sarfaraz Khan was ignored for inconsistent Ajinkya Rahane in WTC Final Squad
Emerging middle-order batsman Sarfaraz Khan hammered all the bowlers throughout the Ranji Trophy 2022-23. The star Mumbai cricketer smashed three commanding centuries and had already knocked on the doors of the selection committee who were repeatedly depriving him of an opportunity.
The Indian Fans were highly disappointed after the exclusion of Sarfaraz Khan from India’s squad. Sarfaraz was also not given a chance during India’s Border-Gavaskar Series against Australia. The sudden emergence of Rahane truly spilled the beans about Sarfaraz’s perseverance.
The BCCI had earlier ruled out the possibility of Shreyas Iyer’s inclusion in the squad due to an injury. This prompted the selection committee to look for an alternative middle-order batsman. Since Suryakumar Yadav had failed to deliver in the Test format, Sarfaraz had been the front-runner to bag the crucial place.
The wait of the agonized fans will continue to sustain as we wait for Sarfaraz’s debut. The patience of Khan and the fans has been deliberately tested by the BCCI and they have erupted on social media platforms to display their displeasure.
WTC Final Squad:
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, KS Bharat (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat
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