'I've never seen Rahane move so well' - AB de Villiers lauds Ajinkya Rahane after latter's gritty knock in WTC final

Former South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers has praised Ajinkya Rahane for the way he batted during India's first innings in the ongoing World Test Championship final. AB de Villiers affirmed that Rahane used his footwork well and played the ball late.

The 35-year-old has returned to the national team after being out of the squad for 18 months. In his return-to-action match against Australia on Day 3 of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval on Friday, Rahane showcased immense grit.

Earlier, on Day 2, India got off to a decent start with the help of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, but things rapidly fell apart after that as they lost their first five wickets in the second half of Day 2. They finished the day on 151/5, 318 runs behind Australia, and 118 runs short of avoiding a follow-on.

Each of Australia's five bowlers claimed a wicket. Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja's 71-run partnership for the fifth wicket gave India a lot of confidence. However, Jadeja was undone by Lyon at an individual score of 48 off 51, while Rahane remained unbeaten with KS Bharat at the other end.

AB de Villiers praises Ajinkya Rahane for his proficient batting approach

Rahane's heroics grabbed the attention of AB de Villiers who lavished immense praise on the veteran batter and his brilliant technique by replying to Harsha Bhogle's tweet.

"I've never seen Rahane move so well! Technique is sound and playing it late," De Villiers replied to renowned cricket commentator Bhogle's tweet.

Once again, Jadeja looked India's best batter and he is now a bonafide top 6 batter. And till that finger injury, Rahane looked very smooth and in excellent touch. But the top order is a concern and has to convert good looking starts into large scores.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 8, 2023

India are currently lagging behind in the Test match and will need a miracle to get into a winning position.