WTC Final 2023: Ajinkya Rahane Becomes 13th Indian Player To Score 5000 Runs In Test Cricket

Carrying the bat overnight, Rahane achieved the feat in the first session of day 3 at The Oval in London as he remained unbeaten on 89 with India trailing Australia by 209 runs at lunch.

After losing overnight partner KS Bharat of the second delivery of the day, Rahane forged a 108-run stand with Shardul Thakur, who remained unbeaten on 36, to take India out of trouble. The pair have weathered some briuses during their brave stay at the crease.

During the fighting knock Rahane crossed the milestone of 5000 runs in Test cricket. The batter, who is on the back of a good IPL and domestic season, became the 13th Indian player to reach the landmark.

Rahane follows the legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Rahul Dravid as well as current teammates Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar among others to reach the milestone.

India Players With 5000+ Runs in Tests

Rahane, who has so far scored 12 hundreds in the longest format, unfortunately could not reach the three figure mark for the 13th time as he was dismissed for 89 just an over after lunch on day 3.

Thakur, on the other hand, has continued to frustrate the Australians as he along with Umesh Yadav, saved India from following on in the WTC Final. Thakur is unbeaten 40, ten runs short of his third fifty in as many innings.

The bowling all-rounder loves batting at The Oval. Thakur has scored two fifties in his previous visit to the venue, helping India beat England in the Test match in 2021, when captain Rohit Sharma also played huge role with the bat.