‘I think he has got his mojo back’ - Dinesh Karthik lauds Ajinkya Rahane ahead of WTC final against Australia

Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik believes that Ajinkya Rahane has played some brilliant cricket in the ongoing IPL 2023 and thus, will be confident ahead of the World Test Championship final against Australia, which is slated to begin on June 7, at The Oval, in London. Notably, with Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant currently not available at the moment due to their respective injuries, Rahane managed to make his return to the squad, after having a brilliant season in the Ranji Trophy.

Karthik also pointed out that the cricketer has a tremendous record in Test cricket outside India and that is expected to boost Rahane’s confidence. The 37-year-old further mentioned the next eight to ten months to be very crucial for the middle order batter as he is currently not under contract and if he manages to do well, Rahane can get back into India’s scheme of things and can very well win a central contract.

“I think he has got his mojo back. He is in good rhythm, he is in good confidence. He is always known to do well outside India. It’s going to be a very important six or eight months for him in his career in Test cricket. He has done so well for CSK. When he has come back the way that he has batted, the intent that he showed, he has shown that he is in very good mind space and that’s something that’s very important for the batter,” Karthik said in a video shared by the ICC.

Karthik picks KS Bharat over Ishan Kishan for the WTC final

Karthik believes that playing Ishan Kishan ahead of KS Bharat in the World Test Championship finale is a bit too much. Notably, the Ranchi-born cricketer doesn’t have any experience of playing Test cricket and thus, Bharat should be the ideal choice as the wicket-keeper batter.

“I think Bharat will be a pretty straightforward choice because playing Ishan Kishan in his debut and a Test match straight in the World Test Championship Final is asking a bit too much. And the fact that KS Bharat probably tips the scale in favour of himself just a little bit with this keeping edge that he has. So I do think they will go in with KS Bharat for the final,” Karthik mentioned.