Rahane: India team needed me in Australia, experienced players should get more chances when making comeback

Ajinkya Rahane has been out of the national reckoning for more than two years. However, the veteran batter hasn’t given up yet, as he continues to lead the batting department for Mumbai in domestic tournaments.

As he scored another century, this time against Chhattisgarh, Rahane’s celebrations were subdued. He just raised his bat, gave a thumbs up to the dressing room, and walked back to take guard again. It was quite unusual, but Rahane admitted that for him, it was about cutting out the noise and focussing on his game.

“Something clicked for me. I know how good a player I am, so I don’t like to focus on what’s going on outside. There are many unwanted people who don’t know about the game, but they still talk about a player who has been playing consistently with a good attitude and good intensity,” Rahane said on Sunday.

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Since his junior cricket days, Rahane has always put Mumbai first, and this season, even after stepping down from captaincy, he has made it a point to help and guide the younger players in the team.

“I want Mumbai’s players to go and play at the highest level. But some people (still) talk about that. They don’t know the game; they don’t know what it takes for an international cricketer who has played for so many years. I don’t want to name anyone, but I feel my family’s support has been massive. My kids tell me, ‘Daddy, you can do it…’ and when they support you, nothing else matters…”

‘Indian team needed me in Australia’

Rahane donned the India colours for the last time during the 2023 World Test Championship final. However, the selectors and the team management decided to look beyond Cheteshwar Pujara and him thereafter.

While Rahane continued with his regular training and put in the hard yards for Mumbai, there was no communication from the national selectors about the road ahead. “After playing so much cricket, when experienced players like me were dropped, I got a sense that there’s something different. I feel an experienced player like me should get more chances when he makes a comeback. But there was no communication,” said Rahane.

“But I still enjoy my game. I can focus on the controllable, which I’m doing right now. Whether they select me or not, that’s their call, but I personally feel that the Indian team needed me in Australia, and I was fully ready for it…”

The Indian team suffered an embarrassing series defeat against Australia earlier this year, and it eventually turned out to be the last Test campaign for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Age not a factor

The current selectors, headed by Ajit Agarkar, have focused more on bringing in new and young talent in the Indian team. But Rahane believes that age shouldn’t be a factor in selecting a player.

“Age is just a number. If a player has the experience and is still playing domestic cricket and giving his best, the selectors should consider him. It’s not about the age. It’s about the intent. It’s about the passion for red-ball cricket and the hard work that you put in the middle. That’s what matters,” Rahane said.

“In Australia, you see, Michael Hussey made his debut in his late 30s. He still scored runs. So, experience matters in red-ball cricket. And I thought, personally, the Indian team needed me in Australia. Selectors talk about playing domestic cricket. I’ve been playing domestic cricket for the last four to five seasons. Sometimes, it’s not about the runs. It’s about the intent. It’s about the experience [you get] when you play in Australia, England, or South Africa… so, I don’t buy that age factor,” he added.

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On Saturday, as India played the third ODI against Australia, Rohit Sharma scored a ton, while Virat Kohli, too, returned to form. “It proves that age is just a number,” Rahane said.

“At the highest level, when you have guys like Rohit and Virat, who have won so many matches for India, especially in white-ball cricket, you need that experience in the team. You cannot go with all the newcomers and all the players on the team. Yes, young blood is important. But I feel that if you have experience, the team will do well, especially in red-ball cricket. I was really happy to see Rohit getting that 100,” Rahane said, making it clear that for now, he will continue to play in all three formats as he is still ‘enjoying his game’.

On Mumbai teammate, Sarfaraz Khan

The last few weeks have been challenging for Sarfaraz Khan. Returning from an injury, he was left out of the India-A squad for its series against South Africa, leading to questions over his career.

However, Rahane backed the 28-year-old: “I think it’s really challenging as a player. He did so well for Mumbai in domestic cricket, scored big hundreds, and did well in the Test series as well against New Zealand. But the only thing that I can tell him is to not get distracted, and not be frustrated.”

“It’s very easy to say, but very hard to do. But he just needs to focus on playing cricket and keep scoring runs. As a player, when you go through this phase, it’s really challenging, but Mumbai cricket is behind him. I’m sure his family is there to support him. He just needs to keep his head down and just keep doing well,” Rahane added.

Known as a run-machine for Mumbai, Sarfaraz hasn’t had a memorable start to the Ranji Trophy, but Rahane believes that it’s important for the batter to cut out the noise. “We know how good he is as a batter, and he has scored so many runs in domestic cricket. But it’s about the time. So, I would tell him to keep his head down and just focus on the controllable things,” Rahane added.

Published on Oct 26, 2025