Follow UsVeteran batter Ajinkya Rahane last played for India in 2023. However, since then, he has gone back to domestic cricket and scored plenty of runs and still harbours hopes of playing for India again. He smashed 159 in the Ranji Trophy match against Chhattisgarh recently, still showing that he can play at the highest level.
Things have not gone his way in terms of selection into the Indian team, as they have gone with youngsters like Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal in the recent past.
However, the 37-year-old is miffed with the lack of communication about his future, and believes that his experience would have come in handy in Australia, where India lost the series 3-1.
"Age is just a number. 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," he said on October 26 (Sunday).
"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."
He insists that he still enjoys playing the game and adds that he is helpless when it comes to selection. "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," he added.
Rahane feels age is just a number and cites Australia's Michael Hussey, who made his Test debut in his 30s, as an example.
"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 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 also came in support of Sarfaraz Khan, who, despite good performances in Tests and at the domestic level, continues to get ignored.
"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 not to get distracted and not be frustrated," Rahane, who scored his 42nd first-class century recenly, said.
"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."
Rahane has played 85 Tests for India since making his debut in 2013. He has notched up 5,077 runs at 38.46, including 12 hundreds and 26 half-centuries.