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Ajinkya Rahane, the man who captained the Indian team in the memorable Border-Gavaskar Test series triumph in Australia in 2020-21 season, finds himself in a sticky position where he seems to have been fazed out of the Indian team. Rahane, who is with the Mumbai squad in the ongoing Ranji Trophy campaign, understands his situation but has not given up on playing 100 Tests for India as he remains determined for a comeback. Rahane last played for India on the tour of West Indies in July 2023. The 35-year-old, who has featured in 85 Tests, is captaining Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. “My goal is to secure both the Ranji Trophy and the bigger objective of playing in 100 Test matches,” Rahane told reporters after Mumbai’s second successive outright win in the competition.

“I’m focused on performing well for Mumbai and taking each game one step at a time.” Rahane could not open his account in what was his first game of the tournament.

Talking about the team’s start, he said: “It’s been a very good start for us this season. The challenge is to be consistent because when you want to win the Ranji Trophy, it is all about being consistent throughout the period of time.

“We are looking to take one game at a time. It’s a home-away format so the conditions keep changing. We have to be in the moment, try and see how the wickets are,” he added.

Much like Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara is another Test veteran who is working hard to make a comeback to the national team. Pujara also scored a double ton in his last match, yet the selectors didn’t pick him for the first two Tests against England. 

With PTI inputs