Former India cricketer and a legend of the game Sunil Gavaskar said that Ajinkya Rahane will have a point to prove during the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. The one-off Championship game will be played at The Oval in London from June 7 to 12.

The second edition of the WTC final will mark Rahane's comeback to the Indian outfit in the longest format of the game after a 15-month break. The 34-year-old's last Test match for India was in January 2022 against South Africa.

Gavaskar told Star Sports that Rahane has a lot of experience playing in England and will be crucial for the Rohit Sharma-led side, batting at No.5. The 73-year-old believes Rahane still has a lot of cricket left in him, and that the one-off Test will be a great opportunity for him. The Indian cricket icon is hoping that he would be able to seize this opportunity with all of his experience and regain his place in the Indian side.

“He’s got a lot of experience having played in England, having scored runs in England. So, yes, I think he is going to be crucial down at number 5. And yes, I do believe he has a point to prove, I still feel he has got plenty of cricket left in him, and this is a wonderful opportunity for him. I’m hoping he will be able to grab this opportunity with all the experience that he has and make a place for him back in the Indian team,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.

The 34-year-old batter returned to the domestic circuit after being dropped from the team, leading the Mumbai team in the Ranji Trophy. The veteran Indian batter had a terrific IPL campaign with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), rebuilding himself in the shortest format of the game.

Notably, he won his maiden IPL title with the MS Dhoni-led side, defeating Gujarat Titans (GT) in a rain-curtailed final on the midnight of May 30, Tuesday, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. He amassed 326 runs from 14 innings, including two half-centuries at a strike rate of 172.48 in the 16th edition of the cash-rich league.