WTC Final: Ravi Shastri explains why Team India had no choice but to include Ajinkya Rahane in Test squad

Former head coach Ravi Shastri feels Ajinkya Rahane was a certainty to make the Indian squad for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 final against Australia once Shreyas Iyer was ruled out due to a lower-back stress fracture. The WTC final will be played at the Oval in London from June 7-11.

Shastri, who coached the Indian team for six out of seven years between 2014 to 2021, sarcastically commented that people who presumed that the former India captain made it to the Test team based on three IPL knocks "must have been on holiday when he scored 600-plus runs in domestic cricket."

"I'm so glad he's made it to the side. He batted beautifully in these two-three games he's played in the IPL and has looked in great touch. And, let's remember the experience he has. The moment Shreyas Iyer was injured, you had to look in that direction," Shastri told ESPNCricinfo.

CATCH ALL IPL 2023 UPDATES HERE

Rahane's pedigree is such that he always had a shot, considering his contribution as a skipper to one of India's greatest Test triumphs overseas when the team won in Australia in 2021. "It's a one-off big game, like the Super Bowl, and you need your experienced player. Remember, just two-and-a-half years ago, the man won a Test series in Australia. He was the captain when Virat went [on paternity leave] and did a sterling job."

Shastri termed Rahane's comeback as a reward for his impressive domestic show. "People think he's just played three IPL games, and that's why he's in the side. They must have been on holiday for six months while he played First-Class cricket. They must've been somewhere in the jungle without contact with anyone. When you go six months into a holiday, you miss those 600 runs," he continued.

Shastri said that Rahane's comeback is similar to another veteran Cheteshwar Pujara, who made his case after scoring truckloads of runs for Sussex in County cricket. "People forget that hundred at the MCG, how he [Rahane] played, and that he's returned to the grind. You saw what it did with Pujara. He went back to the task of playing domestic cricket, playing county cricket, just got the number of runs under his belt, then came back into Test cricket and performed. It's the same thing with Rahane. Let's hope that experience comes in handy," he explained.

ALSO READ: WTC Final - Should KL Rahul replace Shubman Gill? Here's what Michael Vaughan feels

Rahane has scored a 127-ball-61 against former record five-time champion Mumbai Indians (MI) and a 29-ball-71 against former two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Shatsri did admit that watching his current rhythm has also helped his fellow Mumbaikar's cause. "Oh, a lot because the memory is fresh. Domestic cricket was over two months ago. People may forget it, even the selectors. Suddenly, you come in and play that kind of innings where you look at ease, the timing is good, the footwork is good, the confidence is good, it would have helped," he illustrated.

"Coach should be invited for selection meetings"
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) constitution doesn't mandate a national coach to participate in selection meetings. It is only the skipper who can attend without a voting right. Asked about team selections during his tenure, Shastri said: "I have zero first-hand experience [of attending selection meetings]. I was part of the team for seven years and never attended a selection meeting. I wasn't invited either. In the long run, yes [a coach should be invited]."

While he didn't name anyone, Shastri did take a dig at some former officials, who he felt attended selection meetings unconstitutionally. Shastri has repeatedly made his dislike for a former BCCI office-bearer apparent and has used every forum he has to take sly digs at his "bete noire". "From what I gather, there were a lot of people [in the meetings], over the last three-four years, inside selection meetings, not supposed to be there, against the constitution but pitched up," he reckoned.

ALSO READ: IPL 2023 - Should MI's Rohit Sharma take a break to keep himself fresh for WTC Final? Sunil Gavaskar comments

Shastri opined that it is always crucial for a coach to know what the selectors are thinking. "You spend a lot of time with the boys. It's essential, even if not in a voting capacity, to hear what the selectors think and their train of thought. And, then, to decide what could be the right thing for the side. I am still determining how it starts and finishes and who is there in the meeting," he noted.

The former India all-rounder said he deliberately stayed away to earn players' trust. "I needed the player's trust. If a player knew I was a selector or could influence a selector/chairperson of the committee, will he open up to me? Will he have the same trust in me? There could be certain people who will come and still be open and upfront. There could be certain people who might not want to, and I don't blame them because they may have some reservations," Shastri explained.

"From my point of view, that's why I thought it's best to stay away, but in the long run, especially when a team is in the rebuilding stage, it's imperative that a coach who spends a lot of time with the players within the confines of the dressing room can give some valuable inputs," concluded Shastri.