Returning to the Indian team after almost 18 months, senior batsman Ajinkya Rahane has no regrets about the time gone by and wants to bat with the same spirit in the upcoming World Test Championship final (WTC Final) against Australia. I did
Rahane told BCCI TV on the sidelines of India’s practice session, ‘I have made a comeback after 18-19 months. Whatever happened, good or bad, I don’t want to think about my past. I want to start afresh and continue what I have done.
He said, ‘I personally thoroughly enjoyed playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as I batted well throughout the season. Even in the domestic season before the IPL, I did well and I am feeling good. So this comeback was a bit emotional for me.
Rahane, who was a part of IPL champions Chennai, has garnered a lot of praise for his aggressive batting and he wants to continue batting with the same spirit. He said, ‘I want to bat with the same mindset and spirit that I did in IPL and Ranji Trophy before coming here. I don’t want to think about the format, be it T20 or Test matches. The way I am batting now, I don’t want to complicate things. The simpler I keep things, the better it will be for me.
India won the series in Australia in 2021 under the leadership of Rahane, who has so far scored 4,931 runs in 82 Tests for India. He also praised the leadership skills of current skipper Rohit Sharma. He said, ‘I believe the team culture is very good. Rohit is managing the team well and Rahul (head coach Rahul Dravid) bhai is also leading the team really well. That helps too and the team atmosphere is fantastic. Every player is thoroughly enjoying each other’s company.
Rahane expressed his gratitude to his family and friends who supported him throughout his absence from the national team. He said, ‘It was a really emotional moment for me. The support of my family meant a lot when I was dropped from the team. Playing for India meant a lot to me and I focused a lot on my fitness and started playing domestic cricket. I had full faith that I can play for India again.
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