Chennai Super Kings’ Ajinkya Rahane bats in the course of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match in opposition to Mumbai Indians in Mumbai, on April 8, 2023
| Photo Credit: AP
Ajinkya Rahane never offers up and after shocking the cricketing world with the fastest fifty of IPL 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium, the out of favour India batter yearns to play a Test match at his residence floor.
On CSK debut, Rahane smashed seven fours and three sixes in his 61 from simply 27 balls and the fastest fifty of the season got here off simply 19 balls. Chasing 158 in opposition to Mumbai Indians, CSK completed at 159/3 in 18.1 overs.
“I always enjoy playing at Wankhede. I have never played a Test here. I would want to play a Test here,” stated Rahane, who led India to a well-known Test sequence win in Australia in 2021.
Rahane was not supposed to begin the sport however an harm to Moeen Ali gave him a possibility.
“There is still a long way to go. Today, I was not sure about my place in the eleven. I got to know just before the toss, for me it is about playing one game at a time and staying in the moment,” Rahane informed the media on April 8, 2023 evening.
“Anything can occur. Today, I was unsure about my recreation. For me, I will never give up. It is about taking part in with enjoyment and keenness.
“Whatever format I play, it is about giving my best every time, rather than thinking about the future, (things) which is not in my hand, not in my control, for me it’s all about giving my best every time and be as positive as possible and whenever I get an opportunity I should be ready for that,” Rahane said.
Rahana was dropped from the Test team following the tour of South Africa in January 2022. While Cheteshwar Pujara was able to make a comeback, Rahane couldn’t.
The 34-year-old said the knowledge of his homeground helped him play the way he did.
“I just got to know before the toss that I am playing. Unfortunately, Moeen was unwell. I know this wicket really well, have got an idea how the wicket was playing or how the ball was behaving, that helped me,” Rahane.
“When I went in, it was about playing my normal game. The intent was really good. My preparation was really good, we had a really good camp before coming here, had a good domestic season, batting wise I was feeling really good. I am happy that I did really well and we won the game,” he added.
As he often does, Rahane played pure cricketing shots to regal the crowd. Mumbai Indians head coach Mark Boucher said it was Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner’s spin bowling that hurt his side more than Rahane’s knock.
“It is difficult to look at our bowlers and their batters when we have not got enough runs on the board. In a game of T20 cricket especially now that you have got impact players.
“We had seven frontline batters at the moment for us to get however 157/8 was not ok. With that begin (61/1 in six overs) we in all probability ought to have gotten 180-190 after which we might have judged our bowling,” Boucher stated.
“Rahane played some good cricketing shots. But I think it is more about the bowling that did us at the end of the day. The bowling hurt us more than Rahane’s batting,” he added.
