‘Pujara, Virat Kohli and me… all of our averages have gone down because…’: Ajinkya Rahane after 204 in Ranji Trophy

Ajinkya Rahane hit a fluent double century for Mumbai during their Ranji Trophy match against Hyderabad to serve as a reminder to the selectors that he is not done yet.

Two years ago, Ajinkya Rahane was the toast of the nation as he led India to a historic 2-1 Test series win in Australia. But 13 Tests after that series, with just three half-centuries to his name, he lost his place in the India squad.

Mumbai's Ajinkya Rahane (left)(PTI)

On Wednesday, he hit a fluent double century for Mumbai during their Ranji Trophy match against Hyderabad to serve as a reminder to the selectors that he is not done yet.

“One thing is for sure, I will never give up. For me, the dream is to still play for India,” said Rahane after scoring a 261-ball 204 which came at a healthy strike rate of 78.16 with the help of 26 fours and three sixes.

The skipper stitched a 196-run stand for the fourth wicket with Sarfaraz Khan, who remained unbeaten on 126 from 161 balls, as Mumbai declared their innings on 651 for six. At stumps, the 41-time Ranji champions had reduced Hyderabad to 173 for six, with Shams Mulani ending Day Two with figures of five for 76.

It was Rahane’s third first-class century — second double ton — of the year but it has been a topsy-turvy ride for the 34-year-old since losing his India spot after the series in South Africa earlier in the year. He started the year on a strong note with a century against Saurashtra in the first match of the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy season but his IPL outing with Kolkata Knight Riders turned out to be below-par. He then missed Mumbai’s Ranji knockout matches due to injury.

But in the 2022-23 season, things are starting to go his way. He led West Zone to the Duleep Trophy title and followed it up by helping Mumbai clinch their first-ever Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. His batting is also returning to a high level. He was Mumbai's second-highest scorer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with 263 runs in six innings and has started the Ranji season with a bang. Over the last two days, he hardly put a foot wrong and timed the ball beautifully.

So what has changed? Rahane says he is playing with “no baggage” and is trying to emulate the Rahane of old who played “with freedom and fearlessly” during his under-19 days or when he first broke into the Mumbai Ranji team.

“I don’t want to prove anything to anyone. I think my competition is with myself. If I stick to that, things will fall into place. I don’t want to run after anything… just want to back my game,” said Rahane.

He added: “There is no point in being disappointed as things are not in my control. For me, my attitude matters the most. Because of my attitude and my work ethic, I have managed to reach this stage of my life and now I don’t want to change anything.”

To assess what brought him success in his early days, Rahane refers to the diary he has maintained in which he has jotted down the highs and lows of his career and it helped him understand “when runs haven’t come, why they haven’t come. What was the mindset then, what was the thought process.”

“Besides that, I don’t watch any of my old videos. Also, you always have a memory of good things you have done…how you used to play, what was your style, how much did you shuffle, what was the initial movement. Over the years the changes creep into the game…I think these changes are for good as well as we play matches in different countries. But if I have to score runs consistently, I thought I will refer to old Ajinkya’s batting and try to implement it.”

Rahane asserted that over the last few years the averages of those batting at No. 3, 4 and 5—which were Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and himself—have gone down. Till the 2020-21 Test series Down Under Pujara was averaging 47.74 in Tests but since then his average has gone down to 31.17 in 16 matches that followed. Kohli’s average was 53.41 but after the Australia series, where he only played one Test, his average has plummeted to 28.74 in 16 matches. Rahane was averaging 42.58 but in 13 matches after that series, he has averaged just 20.

He points to the kind of wickets that were prepared in India during that time. “If we look at the averages, they have gone down because of the wickets, because as a batter it is always challenging. For openers, it is easy especially in India when the ball is hard. When batters get out, we always think about what mistakes they are committing. But then No. 3-4-5—Pujarat, Virat and me… all of our averages have gone down. So, I don’t think I was committing any mistakes. Yes, as a player I always focus on where to improve but every time we don’t commit mistakes, sometimes the wickets are such…it’s not an excuse but that’s the reality. Everyone was watching so they know what kind of wickets were prepared in India,” he said.