Picture Credit: Twitter/ICC
After India ended Day 2 in the ongoing WTC Final in a comfortable position, a collapse on Sunday morning put them in a state of bother once again. As India lost the wickets of skipper Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant early in the day, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane continued to score runs from the other end. The 33-year-old looked flawless and was absolutely unperturbed against the Kiwi bowlers. He was on the verge of completing a well-made fifty when he lost his wicket to Neil Wagner, much to the disappointment of himself, Indian fans and former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
Rahane will be very, very upset: Gavaskar
Batting on 49, Ajinkya Rahane tried to play a pull shot but smashed the ball straight towards Tom Latham at square leg, who was positioned there only after the previous delivery exactly for that kind of shot. New Zealand's ploy worked wonders as the Indian vice-captain fell in the trap.
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Reflecting on the dismissal, Indian commentator Sunil Gavaskar opined that Rahane will be very, very upset with himself there. The 71-year-old stated, "Only reason to get out like that was he wanted to go past 50."
Notably, the form of India's vice-captain has been under scrutiny despite him being the leading run-scorer for the side in the World Test Championship 2019-21 cycle. Hence, he would have wanted to reach to the landmark but unfortunately fell one run short of what would have been a well-deserved fifty. However, Rahane's crucial knock could still prove to be very vital for India in challenging conditions in Southampton.