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Cricket like never before!
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Ajinkya Rahane has not played for India since July 2023. He last played in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at the Oval, scoring 89 and 46, followed by a couple of innings in the West Indies where he did not get a big score.
Since then, he has been dropped from the Indian side but has put in the hard yards in domestic cricket. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, Rahane has scored 437 runs in 12 innings, including a century in the quarter-final against Haryana.
Before that, he did a superb job in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he scored 469 runs at a strike rate of 164.56 in Mumbai's triumphant campaign, finishing as the highest run-scorer.
At 36, Rahane is aiming to make a comeback to the Indian team. Hence, he has been asked to speak up and be a little bit more open about his performances. In doing so, he cheekily also took a dig at other cricketers, saying he does not have a PR system of his own.
"I was always shy, now I have opened up. My focus has been to play cricket and go home. Nobody told me that going ahead, certain things will be needed," Rahane said in a chat with Indian Express.
"Today also, sometimes I feel ki bas cricket khelo, ghar jao [Just play cricket and go home]. Now I am told I need to speak up, talk about my hard work. People say you need to be in the news ... I don’t have a PR team, my only PR is my cricket. I have now realised that staying in the news is important. Otherwise, people think that I’m out of the circle."
Rahane hopes that his good performances in the domestic circuit will give him another crack at Test cricket. "Test cricket. There is still fire and passion in me. I’m playing Ranji Trophy at the moment, trying to give my all to the Mumbai team," he said.
"The goal is clear to make another comeback. When I was dropped a few years ago, I made runs and was picked for the World Test Championship final and then was dropped again. But what is in my control? To play."
Rahane admits it was tough to watch the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy agianst Australia from home as he feels that he can serve Indian cricket.
"Yes [it was tough to watch BGT sitting at home]. Previously, I was dropped despite doing well. So, somewhere I feel I can still serve the Indian team. Cricket is still left in me," said Rahane.
Rahane will hope to lead Mumbai to their 43rd Ranji Trophy title this season. A win over Vidarbha in the semi-final will give his side a crack to do so.
