Don't try to make sense of Ajinkya Rahane's IPL renaissance, just enjoy it

Ajinkya Rahane was not supposed to take the IPL by so much storm when he was acquired by the Chennai Super Kings for his base price. In fact, there were many moans and groans when he was the first player picked by CSK at the auction, with many questioning how he would fit into this side, and if he still had anything substantial to offer.

But here he is now, looking a million dollars while batting, and timing the ball as sweetly as anyone in the IPL. Rather than theorizing the reasons behind it, as fans, just relish it, for it is unknown when or if something of this ilk will ever happen again.

The IPL, over the years, has provided plenty of engaging story-lines. Whether it be cricketers bursting onto the scene from nowhere, or unfancied teams winning the competition. Even among those, this Rahane renaissance stands tall, and that should be enough to tell you how special it has been.

Before CSK’s away game against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Rahane was not expected to play much of a role for CSK this season. When Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali pulled up lame for the game, though, the former India Test vice-captain was thrown into the deep end.

His response was to, well, smash what was, at the time, the fastest fifty in the IPL. He has continued in a similar vein since, producing arguably his magnum opus in the tournament against the Kolkata Knight Riders, caressing and creaming his way to an unbeaten 71 off just 29 balls.

This is in stark contrast to how his career has unfolded in the recent past. After an uninspiring tour of South Africa in early 2022, he was dropped from India’s Test squad. That was not unwarranted either, with him averaging 24.08 since the start of 2020 in the format.

During this phase, Rahane’s decision-making did not seem quite up to scratch, and it seemed that he was often batting with a cluttered mindset. In fact, it would not be a stretch to suggest that countless Indian fans thought that Rahane’s best days were well behind him.

Ajinkya Rahane has been superb for CSK in IPL 2023

Cut to this season of the IPL, and the story could not have been more different. A shift to a clearer mindset has paid rich dividends for Rahane. If the balls have been in his areas, he has gone after them. If not, he has kept things ticking without taking too much risk. This may sound simple enough but it is not.

It is almost as if he has now embraced a fearless, nothing-to-lose attitude. He knows that he has achieved plenty in his international career and that if his last Test were to be at Cape Town in January 2022, he would still have a record to be very proud of.

Maybe that has just released the added burden he was seemingly carrying when he was playing for India consistently. Now, he just wants to enjoy himself, and he is going out to bat with a clear mindset, knowing that if he aces the battle in his head, he can outlast and outwit whatever a bowler has to throw at him in the field.

That is what elite sportspersons aspire to do. They try to break down every moment, every contingency to its bare principle, isolate themselves from all the uncontrollable aspects (add any other suitable jargon here) and then hope that they can execute whatever they think will fetch them the best outcome.

That Rahane has arrived at this stage, after arguably his most ineffective phase as an international cricketer, only makes this trajectory even more extraordinary. How he has gotten here is anyone’s guess too.

If you try to make cricketing sense of how this turnaround has come about, you might not find much luck. It is, in fact, the sort of turnaround that even Rahane’s staunchest fans would not have envisioned in their wildest dreams. Remember, had everyone at CSK been fit, Rahane might not have played a game all season.

That is how crazy and dramatic this entire sequence is.

But it also sheds light on how, at times, just telling someone that their best version is good enough, works. CSK did that, asked Rahane to be Rahane, and the results are for everyone to see.

It is also a happy throwback to the 2010s, when he was one of the more graceful batters on the Indian circuit. Back then, he made batting look easy, and it seemed that nothing was beyond him – a belief that this IPL has managed to reinforce.

There is no guarantee how long this will continue or if it will get translated onto the international stage when he lines up for India at the World Test Championship final.

The best thing, thus, is to just celebrate, revel in it and stay in the moment. No baggage of the recent past, and no expectations of what the future might hold. Just enjoy the present.

After all, that is what Rahane has been doing too!