“I am not thinking about the future at all,” Rahane said after Mumbai beat Haryana at Eden Gardens. “But I do know that I am batting well. I had a good performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. This Ranji Trophy season is going well too. I batted nicely in the World Test Championship final in 2023 too. After that, I got dropped. Being selected or not selected is another matter, and the job of the selectors. But I thought I played well in that WTC final.”
Rahane, though, said that his motivation hasn’t dropped, and he remains as hungry as ever for runs.
“In all this, I feel I have a lot of cricket left in me,” he said. “That’s why I am playing domestic cricket consistently. I just have one goal right now, and that is to play cricket with a positive mindset, and whatever happens after that, happens.”
This season, as Mumbai’s captain, Rahane has scored 437 runs at an average of 39.72 in the Ranji Trophy. In the SMAT, he smacked 469 runs at 58.62 with a strike rate of almost 165, which included three scores in the 90s.
“Domestic cricket has given me everything,” he said. “I still have that jazba (passion) within me. Before any match, I still have that desire and hunger that I possessed earlier. I don’t know about the future, but I do know I am far from done. That’s why I have been giving my 100% in domestic cricket.”
‘Not told about KKR captaincy’
After the Ranji Trophy ends, Rahane will link up with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as their senior-most Indian cricketer. With Shreyas Iyer gone to Punjab Kings and no standout captaincy choice currently visible, Rahane remains a candidate to wear the armband. However, the former Rajasthan Royals captain has not had any conversations with the KKR management about it.
“They have not chatted about KKR captaincy with me at all. If they’d have spoken, you journalists would’ve known about it and you guys would’ve been the ones informing me,” Rahane said jokingly. “Till then, I’ll not bother checking my phone.”
But he wouldn’t be shying away from the opportunity either, if it was presented to him.
“I have had to see a lot of different challenges,” Rahane said. “I have captained before, and I have found myself in a variety of situations over the years. I know how to handle any situation in front of me. That’s why I am always ready for whatever is thrown at me. That said, I have not got any news or any call. You guys will have to call and let me know if I am appointed captain. I will wait for that call [laughs].”
Rajan Raj is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo Hindi
