IND vs AUS: India's middle-order batter Ajinkya Rahane stood up against all the odds in India's fightback against the mighty Aussies in the first innings of the World Test Championship final. The Men in Blue were in a big hole when they lost their top four cheaply going behind Australia's mountainous first-innings score of 469. Rahane, who made a comeback into Test cricket after 18 months, produced innings to remember for ages as he and Shardul Thakur helped India cut down the trail to 173.
Rahane fell short of a ton but his 89 from 129 balls would taste even better than a three-figure mark. The 35-year-old Rahane was hit on his index finger on day 2 by a Pat Cummins delivery. Rahane was seen in pain and immediately called for medical help. However, he continued his batting after padding up his hit finger. Rahane has now dropped a major update on his finger injury. After the end of Day 3 in the Test, Rahane stated that he has pain but it shall not affect his batting in the second innings.
"Painful but manageable. Don't think it will affect (my) batting (in India's second innings)," Rahane said on his blow and batting in the second term. He also opened up about his innings. "Happy with the way I batted. Had a good today. We were looking to get 320-330 but overall we had a good day. Bowling wise we bowled well. Everyone chipped in," the 35-year-old added.
Shardul opens on Rahane's injury
Rahane's batting partner Shardul Thakur also opened up on the former's blow. "He (Rahane) got a bad blow on his finger. It does not look too bad, it is being assessed. He did not go out in the field as it would have been risky and he had already fractured the same finger previously. He will definitely bat," Shardul said.
After making 89, Rahane was dismissed by a stunning catch from Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green. "That was a really good catch. We all know he's a really good fielder. Has a big reach," Rahane said on Green's catch.
He also opened on the current scenario of the game, stating that Australia are ahead in the match. "Australia slightly ahead in the game. For us it's important to be in the moment, play session by session. The first one hour will be crucial tomorrow. We know funny things can happen. Jadeja bowled really well, footmarks helped him against the left-hander. Still feel wicket will help seam bowlers," Rahane said.
