Veteran India middle-order batter Ajinkya Rahane refused to undergo scans after suffering a finger injury to protect his on-field mindset while batting in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia, revealed his wife, Radhika.
Rahane was struck on the index finger of his right hand off a Pat Cummins bouncer while batting on Day Two of the marquee clash. He immediately felt pain and the physio rushed on the field immediately for treating the injured finger, which Rahane had previously fractured in his playing career.
“Despite your swollen finger, you refused a scan to protect your mindset and focused on batting, displaying incredible selflessness and determination. With unwavering resilience and commitment, you took your place at the crease, inspiring us “ll.”
“I’m forever proud of your unwavering team spirit, my resilient partner. Love you endlessly!” wrote Radhika in a post on her Instagram account on Saturday.
Since suffering that injury, Rahane hasn’t come out to field in Australia’s second innings. On Friday, after the play ended on the third day, Rahane told the ICC that the finger injury would not affect his batting whenever India’s second innings commences.
“It was painful (blow to finger) but quite manageable. I am really happy with the way I batted. We had a good day, the partnership with (Ravindra) Jadeja and I and then with Shardul (Thakur) and myself were really crucial.”
“We were aiming to get 320 or 330 (runs), but I think overall we had a pretty good day. Bowling-wise we did really well in the second innings. Everyone bowled really well. (We’ll take it) session by session. We don’t want to look too far ahead, but we’ve seen funny things happen in this game.”
Rahane withstood immense pain to score a superb 89 off 129 balls, striking 11 fours and a six, in his comeback Test match after 18 months. He also shared a 109-run partnership with Shardul Thakur for the seventh wicket to lead a splendid fightback as India made 296 in their first innings of the WTC Final.
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