Ajinkya Rahane Terms His Return To Team India As ‘Something Really Special’

Ajinkya Rahane expresses gratitude for his family’s support as he makes a return to the Indian Test cricket team.

Ajinkya Rahane had a remarkable season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year with a total of 326 runs. Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, Rahane played a crucial role in guiding Chennai Super Kings to their fifth IPL title. His outstanding performance in IPL 2023 earned him a well-deserved spot in the Indian national team. Rahane has been selected for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. The highly anticipated WTC summit clash, scheduled to commence on June 7 at The Oval, will see Team India facing Pat Cummins' Australia.

Ahead of the all-important match, Rahane spoke about his return to the Indian cricket team. In a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Rahane expressed gratitude towards his family for their support in his journey back to the national team.

“Really happy to be back with the Indian team after 18-19 months. This is something really special for me. I just want to keep continuing my batting form, don't want to think too much about the format, T20 or Test cricket. The way I am batting right now, I don't want to complicate things, the more I keep it simple, it will be better. It was an emotional moment for me. When I got dropped, the support from my family was massive, really important," Ajinkya Rahane said in a video shared by BCCI.

Emotions on #TeamIndia comeback __
Preps for the #WTC23 _
Support from family & friends _

In conversation with comeback man @ajinkyarahane88 __ - By @RajalArora

Full Interview __
https://t.co/hUBvZ5rvYD pic.twitter.com/vJINbplobY

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 3, 2023

Rahane capped off IPL 2023 with two half-centuries. He enjoyed a terrific strike rate of 172.49 in the tournament. The 34-year-old also set a record for the fastest half-century by a Chennai batsman in the history of the competition. Rahane achieved this feat during the match against Mumbai Indians, notching up a blistering 19-ball half-century.

In international cricket, Rahane was last seen in action during the third Test against South Africa in January 2022. Apart from a great campaign in IPL 2023, Rahane had a formidable outing in domestic cricket too. He notched up three hundreds in Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy.

In Tests, Rahane has 4,931 runs under his belt at an average of 38.52. He has 12 centuries and 25 half-centuries to his name.