Ajinkya Rahane says, “I Want To Bat With The Same Intent That I Showed In The IPL And Ranji Trophy”

Senior batsman Ajinkya Rahane, who has played for India for over 18 months, doesn’t want to feel “regret” for the time that was missed and plans to bat with the same “intent” in the World Test Championship final against Australia as he did in the just finished IPL.

“I don’t want to ponder about my past when I return after an absence of 18 or 19 months, good or bad. Rahane said to BCCI.TV outside of India’s training session, “I just want to start again and keep doing what I’ve been doing.

I personally loved my time with CSK since I had been hitting well all season long, even before to the IPL. I felt terrific and had a great domestic season. This return was thus rather emotional for me.

Rahane, who played for CSK in the team that won the fifth IPL championship, has already garnered plaudits for his aggressive batting style and higher strike rate in T20 matches. His 27-ball 61 against the Mumbai Indians in particular demonstrated a change in attitude.

“I want to bat with the same attitude and intensity as I did in the IPL and Ranji Trophy before coming here. Whether it is T20 or Tests, I don’t want to worry about the format. The more I keep things simple when I am batting like I am right now, the better it is for me’, said the veteran of 82 Tests and 4,931 runs.

The one who steered India to the most well-known series victory in Australia, back in 2021, also lauded Rohit Sharma for his outstanding leadership of the group throughout the most of this WTC cycle.

“I believed that the current team culture was excellent. I have no doubt that Rahul bhai is managing the squad just as well as Rohit is. Additionally, the environment is excellent and it helps. I can tell that everyone is enjoying each other’s company right now, he remarked.

Rahane expressed his gratitude to his family and friends for their support while he was away from the national squad.

“For me, it was a really emotional time. When I was cut, my family gave me a tonne of support, and I had a big desire of playing for India at the time. I put a lot of effort into improving my fitness and returned to domestic cricket since playing for India is really important to me.

“Thanks to the BCCI and the selectors, my ambition when I returned to domestic cricket was to play for India. Whether it was the Ranji Trophy, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, or a practise session, for me, every morning I would wake up with the hope of playing for India once again. My ability to make a return was facilitated by my determination to live in the now and not look back, regardless of success or failure. learning from each and every member of the Mumbai Ranji squad. Every day, you must improve as a cricket player, he added, adding that learning should never cease.

Rahane, who made a match-winning hundred in a Test match at Lord’s back in 2014, believes that playing in England is difficult. It all comes down to having the right attitude, being able to read a situation properly, being present, and taking things session by session. In England, you don’t only observe the pitch; you also monitor the weather. Even if you are batting on 70, you never feel like you are in England, he said.