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'This Is Something Really Special...,' Rahane Opens Up On 'Emotional' Test Comeback

image-lig1st07Ajinkya Rahane in 2022-23 Ranji Trophy (Twitter)

Ajinkya Rahane, who played the last of his 82 Tests more than a year ago in South Africa, was recently called back into the national side for the imminent WTC final. 

Rahane, who scored just 547 runs across 15 Tests since 2021, averaged a below-par 20.25 during the period. Unsurprisingly, his extensive lean patch prompted the selectors to drop him from the Test side.

Since then, the cricketer was seen toiling away at Ranji Trophy for Mumbai, where he piled up 634 runs at an average of 57.63 in the 2022-23 season. Moreover, he also went in a beast mode in the subsequent IPL 2023 for CSK, something which factored in getting the selector’s attention ahead of the much-important WTC fixture.

Rahane has now opened up about his Test comeback in length, and revealed how his family supported him during his difficult times.

Ajinkya Rahane speaks about his ‘special’ comeback

During an interview with BCCI.tv, Ajinkya Rahane expressed his happiness over returning to India’s Test setup after a year-and-a-half gap. He added that he wants to maintain his newfound form, regardless of the format, without complicating the situation. The batting veteran said:

“I'm really happy to be back with Indian team after maybe 18, 19 months. This is something really special for me. I want to keep continuing my batting form. I don't want to think too much about the format, I don't want to complicate things,”

Rahane also credited his family for supporting him during his time away from the national side. The 34-year-old claimed that he worked hard on his fitness and went back to his Mumbai roots through domestic cricket in a bid to make a return to the team.

“It was an emotional moment for me. When I got dropped the support from my family was massive. The dream was still to play for India and that's what I told my family. I worked hard on the fitness, my game plan and everything. Went back to domestic cricket, had a very good domestic season for Mumbai.”

The WTC final between India and Australia is scheduled to commence on June 7 at The Oval in London.