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Ajinkya Rahane last played for India against the West Indies in July 2023. (Picture Credit: AFP)
The 36-year-old right-handed batter last played for India during the two-match Test series against the West Indies in the Caribbean Islands last year.
The BCCI took to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday (August 14) to announce squads for the upcoming edition of the Duleep Trophy. The 2024 season of the Duleep Trophy will start on September 5, and a total of four teams will face each other for the big prize.
Many star Indian players, like Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Shubman Gill, will feature in the Duleep Trophy this year. But there was no place for star Indian batter and former Test vice captain Ajinkya Rahane in any of the four squads.
The 36-year-old right-handed batter, who led Mumbai to the Ranji Trophy title win earlier this year, last played for India against the West Indies in July 2023. He failed to perform as per expectations in the two Tests against the Windies and, as a result, was dropped from the squad for the two-match Test series against South Africa.
He was also not considered for the home series against England earlier this year, but despite that, Rahane remained hopeful about making a comeback for Team India.
Rahane’s absence from the Duleep Trophy came as a surprise to many fans, and after getting neglected for the premier domestic tournament by BCCI selectors, Rahane has roared back to form. In the last two matches of the ongoing England Domestic One-Day Cup for Leicestershire, he has scored back-to-back fifties.
He first hammered 62 runs from 76 balls for the Lewis Hill-led side against Gloucestershire in Bristol on August 14 and then followed it up with 70 runs from 86 balls against Hampshire in the second quarter-final match played in Leicester on Friday (August 16).
With his two super knocks, Rahane has sent a big message to the selectors that he still has a lot of cricket left in him and he is ready to fight for a place.
India is set to play 10 Tests in the next four months, and if Rahane manages to maintain his form and perform well for Mumbai in the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy season, he can find a place in India’s squad for the Australia tour, which starts on November 22 in Perth.
