WTC Final 2023: Ricky Ponting explains how Ajinkya Rahane can prolong his Test career

India were reduced to 71/4 before Rahane, who was playing his first match for India since January 2022, stitched a 71-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja and then a 109-run partnership with Shardul Thakur.

The two crucial partnerships took India to 296 in reply to Australia’s total of 469 runs in the first innings. Rahane was inching closer to a hundred before Cameron Green took a stunning catch in the slip cordon to end the Mumbai batter’s innings.

Ponting has praised Rahane and reckoned that the 35-year-old can prolong his Test career by scoring some handsome runs in the absence of injured KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer during the West Indies tour in July. India will play two Test matches in the Caribbean.

“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.”

Ponting also praised Rahane’s work ethic and said that he is one of the most disciplined cricketers he has worked with. Rahane, who was on fire for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2023, worked with the former Australia captain during his stint with Delhi Capitals a couple of years ago.

“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.

“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 concluded.

Rahane on Friday became the 13th Indian cricketer to complete 5000 runs in Test cricket. He now also holds the record to become the first Indian batter to score a fifty in the WTC final.