Ajinkya Rahane voices strong opinions about selection and communication

After hammering a century against Chhattisgarh in a Group A Ranji Trophy game in Mumbai, Ajinkya Rahane turned the heat on the national selectors, raising questions about experience, intent, lack of opportunities, and communication. He also underlined that while the selectors often stress the importance of domestic cricket, he has been diligently featuring in it for the last four to five seasons.

"Age is just a number," he noted, trying to make a point. "As a player, if you have the experience, if you are still playing domestic cricket, if you are still giving your best, I think selectors should consider you. It's not about the age. It's about the intent. It's about the passion for the red ball," Rahane (37) said on Sunday.

The Mumbai batter, expressed his desire to still play for India and said that the Indian team needed his experience for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, where India was humbled by Australia.

"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," Rahane said on Sunday, following the second day's play.

"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 37-year-old Rahane, who has featured in 85 Tests for India, last played in the Port of Spain Test against West Indies in 2023. He had made a comeback to the side at the back of a stellar IPL season and was even a part of the team that lost the World Test Championship final to Australia.

However, Rahane, who cracked his 42nd first-class century on Sunday, believes age is just a number, beyond which the selectors need to look.

"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,"

"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 actually recorded his century on Saturday, the first day of the game, before retiring hurt. His celebration on reaching the milestone was rather subdued. When asked about it, he gave a strong reply without taking names.

"I know how good a player I am. I don't like to focus on what's going on outside. There are many unwanted people. When they don't know about the game, they talk about a player who's been playing consistently, with a good attitude, good intensity, and always wants to do well for Mumbai.

"And also, from a player's point of view, I want Mumbai's players to go and play at the highest level. You know, when some people talk like that, when they don't know the game, they don't know what it takes as an international cricketer who's played for so many years. So, I think something clicked for me. I don't want to name anyone," he said. Last season, he scored 467 runs in 14 innings at an average of 35.92 with one century (in the quarterfinal against Haryana) and one half-century.

Rahane also extended his support to Sarfaraz Khan, whose non-selection for the Indian team has become a communal and political issue in the country lately. "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 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 keep doing well. We know how good he is as a batsman, and he has scored so many runs in domestic cricket. But it's about time. So, I would tell him to keep his head down and just focus on the controllable things."