"The dream to play for India kept me going every single day" - Ajinkya Rahane opens up on WTC final comeback
Ajinkya Rahane has stated that the dream to make a comeback for India kept him going in his 17-month absence from international cricket. The former Test vice-captain also thanked his family and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for their support that led to his call-up to the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia.
After a poor run of form for almost two years, Rahane was dropped from the Test team in January 2022. He went back to domestic cricket, scored over 634 runs at an average of 57.64 in the Ranji Trophy and 263 runs at 65.75 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, following it up with a blistering strike rate of 172.49 in IPL 2023.
He was called up to the WTC final team during the IPL season as a replacement for the injured Shreyas Iyer, with the selectors likely preferring his experience and form over trying a new player.
"Thanks to the BCCI and selectors, first of all, for selecting me," Rahane said in a BCCI video from England. "When I went back to domestic cricket, the dream to play for India kept me going every single day, whether it was a practice session, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, or Ranji Trophy. For me, every day when I was waking up, it was thinking 'I want to play for India again' and that kept me going every time."
"The massive support from my family helped me a lot," he added. "I think what also helped me come here again was enjoying each moment, rather than going in a negative direction and thinking about regrets. Enjoying every success and failure, helping Mumbai and learning from every individual. I always believe that you have to keep that process going and grow as a person and a cricketer every single day whether you do well or not."
The 34-year-old further stated that the comeback call was an emotional moment for his family.
"When I got the call, that moment was really emotional for me and my family because they backed and supported me a lot through that period of two years," Rahane said.
The Mumbai batter has scored 729 runs in England, including a century and a fifty at Lord's. However, he'll want to improve his tally at the Oval, the venue of the WTC final, where he has only managed 55 runs at an average of 9.17 from three Tests.
"I just wanted to enjoy the moment and be better as a cricketer and as a person" - Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane said enjoying every match without thinking about the format or the level and focussing on his processes was what got him success.
"Cricket is my passion," he said. "I always believe whatever level or whichever team you play for, you should give your best whether it's club cricket or company cricket in Mumbai, Ranji Trophy, or international cricket."
"In domestic cricket, my goal was to do well for Mumbai in Ranji, as a batter and as a captain," Rahane added. "We won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which was very important, and then had good Vijay Hazare and Ranji Trophy seasons. I just wanted to enjoy the moment and be better as a cricketer and as a person and just focus on my processes. That's what really worked for me."
Rahane is now focused on the same process by keeping things simple and preparing well for the challenge that lies ahead.
"This is something very special for me. I just want to continue my batting form. I don't want to think about the format, T20 or Test cricket. The way I am batting right now, I don't want to complicate things. I just want to keep it simple and enjoy my batting," he said.
"It's about reading the situation well, playing session by session, staying in the moment, and getting used to these conditions. I'll get a good five-six days of preparation so I just want to keep my mindset positive and keep the same intent going," Rahane added.
The WTC final between India and Australia will begin at 3:00 pm IST on June 7 at the Oval.