Ajinkya Rahane Breaks Silence After Test Team Snub

Ajinkya Rahane, who once remained an integral part of the Test team, has been snubbed for a long time. Despite his performances in the domestic tournaments, he has not been able to make a comeback to the Indian squad. Rahane recently talked about his exclusion from the Test team.

1. Rahane on His Exclusion

He recently on his exclusion by saying, “I thought an experienced player like me should get more chances. There was no communication. I can focus on only the controllable things. Indian team needed me in Australia for BGT and I was fully ready for it.”

Rahane put more focus on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which was being played in Australia. Fans who have watched the last two BGT, which took place in Australia, would know how Rahane and Pujara played an important role in the same. in the Australian conditions was unmatched, due to which Rahane expected that he would be a part of the team.

2. Rahane Against Australia

Ajinkya Rahane has been the star performer of the Indian team whenever the opposition is Australia. Rahane was also the skipper of the Indian team in the absence of Virat Kohli during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020/21. At that time, the Indian team secured its historic Gabba win, as Rahane stood as the skipper.

• Innings: 32
• Not Out: 3
• Runs: 1090
• Average: 37.58
• Strike Rate: 52.07
• 100s: 2
• 50s: 5

He was seen as a key performer for the team when they visited Australia. This is the reason why both of the centuries he has in the BGT have been scored in Australia only. He was mainly seen as an overseas batsman for the Indian team, and played fewer games when the team was at home.

• Innings: 23
• Not Out: 2
• Runs: 884
• Average: 42.09
• Strike Rate: 53.47
• 100s: 2
• 50s: 4

Comparing his stats in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to his stats in the BGT in Australia, it is clear that he has been the stalwart for the Indian team. Both of his Test tons against Australia came at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with Rahane smashing 147 in his first tour, and 112 in his last tour, which was in 2020/21.

The last time fans saw Ajinkya Rahane play for the Indian team in the Test format was back in 2023, when the team played against the West Indies. He was a part of the playing XI for the World Test Championship 2021-23 final, which was set to be played against Australia. Moreover, the final match was played in England, which means it was a great time for Rahane to be a part of the team.

None of the Indian batsmen were able to get a strong start and fell prey to the Australian bowlers. But at the same time, Rahane used his experience in overseas conditions. He went on to score 89 runs for the team in the first innings, being the only batsman, along with Shardul Thakur, who crossed the 50-run mark in the same.

Even in the chase, the Aussies knew if Rahane stayed for long, the Indian team could also chase down 444 runs. Still, he stood at the crease for a long time and scored 46 runs in the second innings before falling prey to Mitchell Starc. Rahane remained the top performer of the team, but since the WTC final, he has received a lack of opportunities.