“My dream is to play for India again,” Ajinkya Rahane after epic Ranji Trophy knock; can he make a comeback to Test side?
Both Rahane and veteran Test player Cheteshwar Pujara were dropped from the Test due to their continuous rough patch in the longest format last year.
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Ajinkya Rahane
Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane missed his double-century by just nine runs against Assam in the Group B match of the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 season. Although he is disappointed by this, the team’s victory is the most important thing for him. He will be more happy if the team wins and is not concerned about getting selected for the much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy which is slated to take place, starting on February 9 at home.
“Frankly speaking, I did not think about the 200,” Rahane told Sportstar. For him, the team comes first. He then added that he is indeed disappointed that despite coming too close to the 200-run mark, he fell short of just nine runs.
He was batting at 131 off 252 at lunch but accelerated right after it, adding 60 runs from just 50 balls with some quick boundaries. After his dismissal, Mumbai declared their innings at 687/4d (Prithvi Shaw stealing the limelight with his 379-run knock, the second-highest individual score in Ranji Trophy history). “I will be more happy than scoring a double hundred. For me, the team matters. Winning matters the most. That’s my mindset,” Rahane said.
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Both Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara were dropped from the Test side due to their continuous rough patch
The 34-year-old has been in decent form in the tournament. In seven Ranji Trophy innings, he amassed 538 runs; he can make a comeback to the national Test side against Australia. Both Rahane and veteran Test player Cheteshwar Pujara were dropped from the Test side due to their continuous rough patch in the longest format last year.
When they were dropped, many believed it was the end of their career. But Pujara made a comeback to the team. He last played against Bangladesh, even scoring 90, 102* in the first Test and 24 and 6 in the second. He was awarded the Player of the series.
Even if Rahane is included in the squad, in which position he will come to bat? He may not be a suitable replacement for Rishabh Pant who has the ability to bash the ball for biggies from the start. Pant is unlikely to come back after he sustained injuries during the car crash. With a new selection panel led by Chetan Sharma, Rahane can be considered in place of KL Rahul, who, despite being given so many chances, has failed continuously to score runs.
“Selection is not in my control. The selectors will decide that, so I leave it up to them. For me, it is about scoring runs for Mumbai and winning matches for the team. I like to stay in the moment. My dream is to play for India again,” Rahane added.
Rahane was once an integral part of the Test team. In 82 matches, he has amassed 4931 runs. But he has been out of the squad for many months. His last Test match was against South Africa in January 2022. He had a below-par performance, scoring just nine and one run in both innings.
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Gouri Das
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