After a long wait of 15 months, Ajinkya Rahane returns to the national team.

The much-anticipated World Test Championship (WTC), which will take place in June at The Oval, will have a 15-member team, according to the BCCI’s announcement on Tuesday. 

The management made the decision to include Ajinkya Rahane in the mix despite the fact that the core largely remains unchanged

After a long wait of 15 months, Rahane returns to the national team. During that time, he played for Mumbai in the domestic league and provided his services there. The Mumbai skipper had a good season in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy. In 11 innings, he scored 634 runs at an average of 57.63.

In addition to putting on a show in red-ball cricket, Rahane established his authority in white-ball cricket. Rahane made the most of his opportunity after being signed by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for 50 lakh rupees, which many believe helped him earn a spot in India’s WTC squad.

Rahane has been one of CSK’s main middle-order players, scoring 209 runs in five innings at a staggering strike rate of 199.04.

Many people were perplexed by Rahane’s selection, despite his impressive performance, and they criticized BCCI for prioritizing IPL over Ranji Trophy as a selection criteria. As a matter of fact few even contended Sarfaraz Khan, who has been a hit in the India’s head red-ball homegrown competition, ought to have an opportunity in front of his Mumbai partner. 

The following are a couple of responses:

Getting Rahane back in Test side is a very short sighted move. Another selection in the Test team that has been done on the basis of performances in other formats. He didn't do anything special in the FC games he played. It might seem one off for the WTC Final, but it won't be

— Gurkirat Singh Gill (@gurkiratsgill) April 25, 2023

Ajinkya Rahane gets a spot in Tests because of IPL form. Sarfaraz Khan misses out on it because of IPL form.

Wouldn't be surprised if Sarfaraz stops playing Ranji & starts playing full fledged IPL to make a statement for Indian team. I'm sure then he will surely get selected.

— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) April 25, 2023

🚨 NEWS 🚨#TeamIndia squad for ICC World Test Championship 2023 Final announced.

Details 🔽 #WTC23 https://t.co/sz7F5ByfiU pic.twitter.com/KIcH530rOL

— BCCI (@BCCI) April 25, 2023

Even though Sarfaraz hasn’t been able to get going in the current IPL, he has been a huge force for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. The center request player gathered 556 runs from 9 innings at a normal of 92.66.

However, the BCCI think-tank may have leaned toward Rahane because of Sarfaraz’s vulnerability to quality seam attack, who has also played for India in 82 Test matches.

In the meantime, numerous voices expressed optimism regarding Rahane’s powerful performance.

I had been thinking, and chatting to people, about India's squad for the WTC Final. And whichever way I looked at it, I was zeroing in on this team. That suggests there weren't too many choices. The only real talking point is the return of Rahane. Looks in good form, not slogging…

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 25, 2023

India had arrived at the last of the debut version of WTC in June 2021 yet lost by eight wickets to New Zealand in a downpour hit challenge in Southampton. However, this time around, the team will attempt to put on a better performance and bring an end to the ICC Trophy drought.