'I batted nicely in WTC 2023 final. After that, I got dropped': Centurion Ajinkya Rahane's message to selectors months ahead of England tour

'I batted nicely in WTC 2023 final. After that, I got dropped': Centurion Ajinkya Rahane's message to selectors months ahead of England tour
Ajinkya Rahane of India looks on prior to day three of the ICC WTC Final at The Oval on June 09, 2023 in London.

Story Highlights:

Ajinkya Rahane had not scored a half-century before Ranji Trophy 2024-25 resumed.

Rahane scored 96 against Meghalaya in must-win match and followed it up with a century in the semifinal.

Rahane was dropped after two single-digit scores against West Indies.

Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane scored his first century on the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season in the quarterfinal clash against Haryana. After Mumbai's 152-run win over Haryana to reach the semifinals, Rahane talked about his form of late and recalled the time when he was dropped from Test squad in 2023 despite a good show in World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final against Australia

"I am not thinking about the future at all," Rahane said after the convincing at Eden Gardens on February 11. "But I do know that I am batting well. I had a good performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. This Ranji Trophy season is going well too. I batted nicely in the World Test Championship final in 2023 too. After that, I got dropped. Being selected or not selected is another matter, and the job of the selectors. But I thought I played well in that WTC final."

 

 

The veteran Mumbai batter was called in as replacement for an injured Shreyas Iyer for WTC 2023 final considering his overseas record. In the first innings, he scored 89 runs and followed it up with a 46-run knock in the unsuccesful run chase.

Rahane was lauded for his performance and retained his place in the Test squad. He registered two single-digit scores on the West Indies tour and was then dropped from the squad. Since then, the selectors have moved on from Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. They have put their faith in young batters who have been waiting in the wings for long, scoring heaps of runs in domestic cricket. 

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Rahane's form in recent times

Rahane has been in good form of late barring the match against Jammu and Kashmir at home. He scored 96 runs in the must-win group stage game against Meghalaya. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), he wa son song as well. He was the top-scorer with 469 runs from eight innings at an average of 58.62 including five fifties. His highest of 98 in the tournament came against Baroda in the semifinal clash. 

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However, he has been ordinary in the ongoing Ranji season. So far, he has scored 437 runs from 12 innings at an average of 39.72. In the first leg of the tournament, he did not score a single half-century. Currently, he is 51st on the list of run-scorers in this Ranji season. He will have a chance to move up the list when Mumbai take on Vidarbha in the semifinal starting February 17.