Veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane is eyeing a comeback to the Indian test team and completing 100 matches in the red-ball format for the country. However, he expressed that his current focus is to lead Mumbai to their 42nd Ranji Trophy win in the ongoing 2023-24 season.
Ajinkya Rahane made a comeback to the Test team last year for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. He was India’s best batter in the match. However, he couldn’t continue the good run in the next series against West Indies. Subsequently, he was dropped from the Test team again. Speaking to reporters after Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy match against Andhra Pradesh, Ajinkya Rahane spoke about his goals. He said,
“My goal is to secure both the Ranji Trophy and the bigger objective of playing in 100 Test matches. I’m focused on performing well for Mumbai and taking each game one step at a time.”
Ajinkya Rahane has played 85 Test matches for India, scoring 5077 runs at an average of 38.46. He has scored 12 centuries, and 26 fifties in the format. The veteran batter led India to a historic series win in Australia in the 2020-21 Border Gavaskar Trophy. Overall, he has led India in six test matches, winning four, while two have ended in a draw.
The challenge is to be consistent: Ajinkya Rahane
Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane feels the challenge for his team is to be consistent in the ongoing 2023-24 Ranji Trophy. They have won two out of two matches so far with bonus points. Mumbai recently defeated Andhra Pradesh by 10 wickets at the MCA Ground in BKC, Mumbai. Talking about his decision to enforce a follow-on in the match, Ajinkya Rahane said,
“The decision was instinctive as such opportunities are very rare. If you read the situation and sniff the opportunity for seven points…it will be helpful for you in future as you don’t know how the wicket will be, the conditions will be, teams form in the upcoming matches…you never know what will happen.”
“So yesterday, I felt like if the bowlers will push themselves a bit and if we take two three early wickets then it will become easier for us. It’s been a very good start for us this season. The challenge is to be consistent because when you want to win the Ranji Trophy, it is all about being consistent throughout the time,” he added.
Ajinkya Rahane missed out on Mumbai’s opening clash of the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy against Bihar due to a stiff neck. Shams Mulani led the team his his absence. Rahane made a comeback in the second game against Andhra Pradesh but was dismissed for a golden duck. Mumbai will take on Kerala in their third match of the tournament, starting from January 19 at the St’Xavier’s KCA Cricket Ground in Trivandrum.
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