Ajinkya Rahane, who is out of the Indian cricket team, is seen in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy these days, where his bat is on fire. On the basis of Rahane’s excellent batting, Mumbai has reached the finals of the tournament. Rahane has played seven innings during which he has scored five half-centuries. Rahane’s strike rate is more discussed than consistency. Rahane performed brilliantly in that match, in which Mumbai needed to win to reach the knockouts, after which he played half-centuries in the quarter-finals and then the semi-finals.
In the first two matches of this tournament, Mumbai had to chase a big target and Rahane performed brilliantly during this, due to which the team was successful in winning these matches. When Rahane was asked what changes he made in his batting, the batsman said that it is just a change in mindset.
Ajinkya Rahane has scored 432 runs in 7 matches this season at an excellent average of 72 and strike rate of 170. He has hit 42 fours and 16 sixes in the tournament. His highest score during this period has been 98 runs, which came in the semi-finals. The statistics are enough to tell how Rahane is batting. According to Cricbuzz, after Mumbai’s 6-wicket win against Baroda in the semi-finals, he said, “It’s just a change in mentality.” “The intention is the same and I don’t want to think too far ahead or think about our results or outcome.”
Prithvi Shaw, who has been out of Team India for a long time and was unsold in the IPL auction, was in the eye at the beginning of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, but Rahane caught everyone’s attention with his batting. Rahane’s established intentions as a Test batsman have shown that he is rapidly adapting to T20 cricket.
Rahane said, “The way this format is going around the world, we see that the first six overs are really important. You have to take advantage of those first six overs. If the openers or the top three are good in the first six overs, Bat and get a big score, it becomes really easy after the first six overs.”
Regarding his batting, Ajinkya Rahane said, “I played some shots, scoops, reverse sweeps in this tournament. But it is always about reading the situation and situations and playing accordingly.”
The way Rahane is batting in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the hopes of his excellent performance in the next season of IPL have increased. Rahane had performed brilliantly for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL last season, but the upcoming season is expected to be even better. It is unlikely that Rahane will be included in the Indian team in the near future, but he has shown that he still has a lot to offer to Indian cricket.
Ajinkya Rahane said, “Before my Test debut, I played six seasons of domestic cricket, red ball cricket. And then I made my Test debut. So, it is always about giving back.” Rahane further said, “I still love the game. I am still passionate about the game. And the fire inside me to represent India is still alive. So, it is always about that. I am always there for the team.” I want to continue to perform well, whether it is domestic cricket or if I get a chance in future, in international cricket.”
Ajinkya Rahane had led Mumbai in 2022, but this season the management has decided to go with Shreyas Iyer. This decision of the management proved beneficial because Rahane is able to bat freely. Regarding this, Rahane said, “For me, it is always about the team, always about contributing to the team. It is a big game. I never think about myself. But about captaincy, I have always Enjoyed being a captain.”
Rahane further said, “I was the captain in the first six matches of the Ranji Trophy. Now, the selectors thought that Shreyas would be a good captain and he is doing a great job, so I am happy that I am playing under him, I am really “I’m happy to play under any captain. It’s always about the team for me.”
