It was not long ago when Ajinkya Rahane was enjoying the glory days as India conquered the Aussieland under his captaincy. As Virat Kohli left the team after the first Test match of the series, his deputy Rahane was handed over the leadership reins.
India after being decimated in the first Test battled against all odds to clinch the historic Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21. Rahane, who was at the helm of the affairs, became a celebrated captain as the cricketing fraternity lauded him for his shrewd leadership skills.
Since then, the tide has turned for India’s former vice-captain. Rahane is likely to be not included in the squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka and focus on finding his midas touch in the nearing Rajni Trophy.
Rahane fired shots at his critics in an interview on Backstage with Boria. As uncertainty looms over his place in the Test side, the 33-year-old reminded of his contributions in red-ball cricket for the national side.
“I just smile when people says my career is finished, people who know the sport don’t talk like that – everyone knows what happened in Australia/even before it, my contribution in red ball – people who love the sport will talk sensibly,” Rahane said as quoted on Backstage with Boria.
In a bold statement, Rahane shockingly revealed how few people took credit for his hard work on Australian soil. This rather came as a cryptic message as the cricketer did not disclose the names he was referring to.
“I know how I have performed and I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, and that’s not in my nature to go out there and take credit. However, there were a few decisions that I personally had to make on the field but the credit went to someone else. To me, it was important that we won the series and it was a historic series. For me, that was really special,” Rahane added.
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With Ajinkya Rahane in the midst of a lean patch, there is no denying the fact that the Mumbai-born batsman has been existing on a mediocre record for quite some time now. His last Test century came in India’s famous Melbourne win. Rahane had a poor tour to South Africa, gathering 136 runs in 3 matches and dropping his average to 38.52.