Ravichandran Ashwin analyzes Ajinkya Rahane's batting technique during Ranji Trophy 2024 final
Team India's veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took to social media to analyze Ajinkya Rahane's batting technique during the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024 final between Mumbai and Vidarbha.
Rahane, who is captaining Mumbai, impressed many with a gutsy half-century on Day 2. Batting in his team's second innings, the right-handed batter remained unbeaten on 58 at Stumps.
During the game, broadcaster Jio Cinema analyzed Rahane's batting, pointing out potential technical flaws. Ashwin chimed in on the matter and shared a clip of the same on his Instagram story, seemingly appreciating the batter for his balance and head position.
Ajinkya Rahane made a fantastic return to India's Test team in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia last year. While India lost the encounter, the seasoned campaigner shone with the bat, registering scores of 89 and 46.
Rahane regained India's Test vice-captaincy for the team's subsequent tour of the West Indies. However, he managed to score just seven runs across two innings and was dropped from the team after the series.
The 35-year-old has looked a pale shadow of his former self in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024 season. He has tallied just 199 runs in 13 innings at an average of 18.09.
"It is just a phase for him where he is not getting runs" - Shardul Thakur on Ajinkya Rahane's poor form
Mumbai all-rounder Shardul Thakur opened up on Ajinkya Rahane's underwhelming run in the Ranji Trophy 2024 season after Stumps on Day 1 of the ongoing final. He reiterated that the likes of Rahane and Shreyas Iyer have been proven performers for India and in domestic cricket.
Speaking about how the two senior batters have been going through a rough patch lately, Thakur said:
"Ajinkya is not scoring runs throughout the season. He is not in the greatest of the forms. We cannot blame him as it is just a phase for him where he is not getting runs. It's just a rough patch for them. That's what I would say [about] Shreyas [and] Ajinkya. These guys have been absolute match-winners for Mumbai and India."
Mumbai finished on 141/2 at Stumps on Day 2, leading Vidarbha by 260 runs. Ajinkya Rahane and Musheer Khan will resume batting on 58 and 51 respectively on the third day.