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Following an explosive half-century for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) against Mumbai Indians in his Indian Premier League (IPL) match, Indian middle-order batter Ajinkya Rahane has not ruled out a return to the national Test side, but said that there is "still a long way to go" for it.
A stunning 19-ball half-century in the Indian Premier League on Saturday night against Mumbai Indians in his first game for Chennai Super Kings has put Ajinkya Rahane back in frame for a Test recall ahead of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia in England, which will take place from June 7 onwards. Rahane, who was dropped from the Test squad, and subsequently from BCCI's annual contracts, last played a Test in January 2022 in South Africa. The middle-order batter, who played the final of the last WTC cycle, averages just 20.25 in his last 15 Test matches with no hundreds and just three fifties. He has scored only 547 runs in these matches. His place in the Test team was taken by Shreyas Iyer, who is doubtful for the WTC final in June after being ruled out of IPL 2023 with a back injury. Rahane, meanwhile, made merry at the Wankhede with a 27-ball 61 from No.3, but maintained that he was taking it one game at a time. "Still, a long way to go [WTC final]," Rahane said at the post-match press conference after the IPL game as quoted by ICC. "Today, I was not sure about my place in the eleven, (and) got to know just before the toss. For me, it is about playing one game at a time and staying in the moment. Anything can happen. I will never give up. For me it is about playing with enjoyment and passion," he added. Put to bat first by CSK, MI was off to a good start and was cruising at 61/1 in six overs after the powerplay. But spinners Ravindra Jadeja (3/20), Mitchell Santner (2/28) and pacer Tushar Deshpande (2/31) crushed MI's batting line-up. Except for Ishan Kishan (32) and Tim David (31), MI's exciting, star-studded line-up fell flat. Stars like Rohit (21), Cameron Green (12), Suryakumar Yadav (1) failed to fire. Hence, MI could only put up 157/8 in their 20 overs. In chase of 158, after falling of Devon Conway for a duck, Ajinkya Rahane lit up Wankhede Stadium with his 61 off 27 balls, with seven fours and three sixes. Supporting knocks from Ruturaj Gaikwad (40*), Shivam Dube (28) and Ambati Rayadu helped CSK chase the target in 18.1 overs. Jadeja was given the 'Player of the Match' award for his match-winning spell. (ANI)
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