Ajinkya Rahane, former captain of the Indian cricket team, might no longer be in the race for a spot in the national Test team, as hinted by the BCCI’s selection committee. However, this didn’t stop him from scoring his 40th first-class century. Rahane achieved this milestone in the County Championship Division Two match, playing for Leicestershire against Glamorgan.
A Resilient Knock in County Championship
In the match, Rahane, who has played 85 Tests and 90 ODIs for India, hit 13 boundaries and one six to score a determined 102 runs from 192 balls. He formed a crucial 183-run partnership with Australian cricketer Peter Handscomb on the final day, helping Leicestershire avoid a defeat at Sofia Gardens against Glamorgan.
At the end of Day 3, Rahane was unbeaten on 47, alongside Handscomb who was on 33. Leicestershire was trailing by 155 runs when bad light stopped play, with 21.2 overs still remaining. Earlier, Glamorgan had declared their innings at 550 for 9, thanks to Colin Ingram’s career-best 257.
On the final day, the Indian-Australian duo, who were both dropped by Glamorgan’s leg-spinner Mason Crane, managed to secure a draw for Leicestershire with their 150-plus run stand.
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Rahane’s Century Comes After a Long Wait
This century was Rahane’s first in red-ball cricket in almost 19 months. His last century in this format was during the Ranji Trophy in January 2023 against Assam. Rahane, who also had a successful run in the One-Day Cup for Leicestershire, scoring 378 runs with four fifties in 10 matches, will gain confidence from this century as he prepares for the upcoming domestic season with Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy.
End of Rahane’s Journey in the Indian Team?
The management of the Indian team, which now includes new head coach Gautam Gambhir, has indicated their intention to move forward from senior middle-order players like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. This approach aims to provide more opportunities to younger players. Recently, neither Pujara nor Rahane was selected for the Duleep Trophy, starting later this week. This suggests that the selectors and Gambhir may not consider them for India’s upcoming three Test matches – two at home against Bangladesh, three against New Zealand, and the crucial Border-Gavaskar series in Australia.
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