Ajinkya Rahane in WTC 2023: 'Tough times don’t last, tough people do,' says Saiyami Kher, internet agrees

Ajinkya Rahane's knock of 89 potentially saved his team from plummeting into the depths of a humiliating defeat.

Ajinkya Rahane

The return of Ajinkya Rahane to the Indian team has been a subject of intense discussion over the past couple of weeks, with reasons seeming equally valid. The supremely talented Mumbai batter lost his precious spot on the back of an extended poor run which saw his batting average in Test cricket drop to below 40. The rise of Shreyas Iyer as a replacement loomed large as a threat in parallel, resulting in Rahane eventually being dropped.

But just when things looked bleak and it seemed as though Ajinkya Rahane's international career was over, the elegant batsman proved just what he is made of. Going back to the grind at the domestic level, Rahane would amass as many as 884 runs at an average of 58.93 (including 3 hundreds and one fifty) in the first-class season. He would then capitalize on the form in IPL 2023 and become one of the main contributors to the success of the Chennai Super Kings.

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And just as his admirers hoped, the call to reassume his lost position in the Indian men's Test team came soon enough. He was part of the extended team announced for the WTC 2023 final and Shreyas Iyer's injury meant that he was certain to play in the middle order. With the Indian top order failing to deliver in the recent past, one pinned a lot of hopes on Ajinkya, expecting his present form to yield good results. And he delivered.

Rahane would score an amazing 89 in India's first innings, a knock that saved his team from plummeting into the depths of a humiliating defeat. His partnerships, first with Ravinder Jadeja and then with Shardul Thakur, help India suffer only a deficit of 173 runs but the intent and rigour with which he played have won the hearts of all cricket fans. One among them is actress and cricket broadcaster, Saiyami Kher.

"Tough times don’t last. Tough people do. So many life lessons to learn from Ajinkya and this knock. So proud of you @ajinkyarahane88 🙌🏽," said Saiyami in her tweet, echoing the thoughts of several others.

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