The national selectors seem to have moved on from him, but Ajinkya Rahane has not given up hope of putting on an India jersey again. The 36-year-old last played for the country in the West Indies almost two years ago, but still believes he has it in him to contribute to the national side.
Having guided Mumbai to the Ranji Trophy semifinals, quality innings at the business end of the tournament can put Rahane’s name in contention, with a tour of England coming up in the summer.
“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. The goal is clear to make another comeback,” Rahane told The Indian Express a day before he leads defending champions Mumbai against Vidarbha in Nagpur.
Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane plays a shot on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy fixture against Meghalaya (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
He banks on his experience and fitness and believes age is just a number.
“I’m more experienced, but still feel young. I’m fit enough to compete at the highest level. I never get satisfied with my game and don’t take things for granted. I feel there’s more cricket left in me.
“As a batsman, one can play till 40. There are players who have played till the age of 39-40. What matters is fitness. We need more experienced players, plus a few youngsters, in the team. So that they can learn,” the veteran argued.
The last few years of his international career were not too productive, with his last hundred coming in the famous victory in Melbourne in December 2020. But he thinks he was making useful contributions to the team.
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“Post Covid, there has been a drastic drop in batting averages of everyone because of the kind of pitches we played on. Only the top order has the advantage on such tracks. I am not giving excuses. I don’t have any regrets because I know whenever the team wanted me to deliver, I did. Contributions are not necessarily in the form of big hundreds, it could be a 70, 80 or 50,” Rahane reasoned.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
