Ajinkya Rahane’s in the news. The former Test captain scored his 40th first-class century playing for Leicestershire against Glamorgan in the County Championship. Naturally, people started writing about how Rahane was snubbed from the Duleep Trophy squad and that he could still find a place in India’s Test team. Not a chance, I say.
Rahane’s drop-off
Rahane without a doubt has been one of India’s most talented batters. Someone who stood up against the most difficult opposition in adverse conditions. With hundreds in England, New Zealand and England. He had an average of 52 in South Africa, with 96 being his top score; he was a rare breed. Not often do you find Indian batters who fare well away from home, but Rahane did. However, his golden phase wasn’t exactly long.
After great performances from 2013 to 2106, Rahane averaged under 35 in 2017 and 2018. Under 40 in 2020 and 21 in 2021, the year when he played most Tests in his career (13). You can argue he should have been dropped earlier by the management, who liked that he stood up when it mattered the most. Made interim captain for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2020-21, he scored a great hundred at the MCG when India was down 0-1 in the series without Virat Kohli.
India carried him until January 2022 and then finally dropped him. His average was in the mid-40s during his best period; now it is 38. His experience allowed him to play in the WTC Final 2023, where he scored top scored for India (135). This earned him two further chances against the West Indies, but he couldn’t do much.
Recent struggles
He was finally done away with. But everyone, including Rahane, thought that there was still hope. If a 41-year-old fast bowler can play at 41, why couldn’t Rahane do it at 35? He returned to first-class cricket at the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 season in January 2024. Out of the 10 matches Mumbai played, Rahane featured in 8. He scored 214 runs at 17.83 and hit just two fifties in 13 innings, one of which came in the 2nd innings of the final against Vidarbha.
Not great. In comparison, Cheteshwar Pujara, another veteran who was dropped from India’s Test side, scored 829 runs at 69.08 in the same number of innings. It wasn’t exactly a shock that Rahane wasn’t considered for the India vs England Tests and wasn’t selected for the Duleep Trophy 2024. So he went to County cricket.
Ajinkya Rahane’s first-class record in 2024
| Tournament | Inn | Out | Runs | Avg | 50s & 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranji Trophy 2023-24 | 13 | 12 | 214 | 17.83 | 2 & 0 |
| County Championship Division Two | 4 | 4 | 162 | 40.5 | 0 & 1 |
| Total | 17 | 16 | 376 | 23.5 | 2 & 1 |
Now, remember this is division two. Similar to the Ranji Trophy Plate. So, while Rahane dug Leicestershire out from a tough spot while they were three wickets down and still trailing by 162, this isn’t the highest-quality attack. Mason Crane was the only capped Test player and he’s played one match where he got one wicket for 193 runs.
I don’t even think there is a point about diving into the plethora of options India has in the middle. Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, and Devdutt Padikkal are just some of the names who are batting there, and more than five others are waiting in the wings.
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