Australian legend Ricky Ponting has praised the Indian middle-order batter Ajinkaya Rahane for his valiant effort in the first innings of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final against Australia.
The 35-year-old scored 89 off 121 balls courtesy of 11 fours and a six after Team India were 50-3 when he came to bat.
Ponting believes the 35-year-old showed enough to ensure he wins selection for the upcoming series in the Caribbean against the West Indies and beyond.
"He has made the most of his opportunity and that is all you can do,” Ponting told the ICC.
"I think there are two more Test matches in the West Indies after this before Rahul and Iyer are back, so he has got a real opportunity to prolong his Test career for another couple of years."
Rahane got the opportunity to work under the three times ICC World Cup winner with Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The 48-year-old admitted that Rahane is one of the most disciplined players he has ever seen.
"He is a lovely guy and a mild-mannered guy and someone who is one of the most disciplined cricketers I have ever worked with,” Ponting added.
"He is always the first one at training and he is always the first one at the gym doing his recovery and rehab.
"I am really happy to see him back out there and playing and when you see him play like that (against Australia) you just wonder why he hasn't been in this India team for the last couple of years.”
Ponting also said that Rahane was selected over some top IPL performers which is quite amazing.
"Isn’t it amazing now in this modern game. He probably got back into this Indian Test team on the back of some performances in the IPL, so well played to him," Ponting said.
"I am lucky that I am not an India selector, because that is a very difficult decision to make. It might even come down to condition-based selection, but that is the case that is a really good sign for India," he concluded.
- Ricky Ponting