Ajinkya Rahane is coming on in a new, aggressive, pinch-hitter role in the IPL 2023 season for CSK. What Robin Uthappa did for CSK in the last couple of seasons, the management has asked the veteran batsman Ajinkya Rahane to do it.
Without taking his usual time in the middle, the 34-year-old senior India batsman has been going hammer and tongs after the bowling attack.
Injury to Ben Stokes paved the way for Ajinkya Rahane to slot in the side and make a significant impact for CSK at number 3.
In the 3 innings he’s played so far, Ajinkya Rahane has recorded scores of 61 (27) vs MI, 31 (19) vs RR, and 37 (20) vs RCB. All of his knocks have been emblazed with dazzling array of fours and sixes.
The latest of which against RCB was indeed such a stunning shot – a 91-meter six to Vijaykumar Vyshak – that the commentators Sunil Gavaskar and Sanjay Manjrekar were simply amazed by it.
Rahane took everyone by surprise, leaving jaws dropped on the floors, when he spectacularly, elegantly pulled Vyshak for a maximum. And it was literally a big one: the ball traveled 91 meters and hit the roof at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium.
In the commentary box, Gavaskar and Manjrekar were mesmerized with this elegant shot, and Rahane’s astonishing batting form and his mode this season for CSK. Even RCB skipper Faf du Plessis had a look of being impressed.
Watch: Ajinkya Rahane’s 91-meter six hits the roof at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Sunil Gavaskar goes gaga over it
https://twitter.com/BilluPinkiSabu/status/1647970366432636928?s=20
In 3 innings so far this season, Rahane has scored 129 runs at a belligerent strike rate of 195! He’s smoked 12 fours and 6 sixes in 3 knocks.
Meanwhile, earlier, Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to field first against CSK. RCB didn’t make any changes while for CSK, Pathirana comes in for the injured Magala.
Teams:
CSK (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana
RCB (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik(w), Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Wayne Parnell, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Mohammed Siraj
