India vs Australia 2017: Ajinkya Rahane talks about his exclusion from the T20I side

What's the story?

After he was dropped from the Indian squad ahead of the three-match T20I series against Australia, Indian opener Ajinkya Rahane remained positive and said that he respects the decision taken by the selectors.

Speaking to the media upon his arrival in Mumbai, the right-hander also spoke about the competition he faces in the limited-overs side and has admitted that the competition between the teammates will help the players give their best whenever they take the field.

"Yes, so much cricket we play, the team management, selectors take a decision and we respect it. Speaking about the competition, it is necessary and it helps you to give your best performance. Whoever gets a chance does well for the team. I have always enjoyed the competition (among players)," Rahane said.

In case you didn't know...

Ever since the end of 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, Rahane has silenced his critics in style by scoring fifties for fun. He scored three fifties and a century in West Indies and won the Player of the Series in the Carribean islands before he turned his attention to the Aussies against whom he scored four consecutive fifties.

In the absence of Shikhar Dhawan, Rahane made sure that Virat Kohli and co. didn't feel the void left by the Delhi batsman as he, along with Rohit Sharma, put on three 100-run stands in three matches in the recently concluded series.

Details

In spite of having a great ODI series against the Aussies, Rahane was excluded from the Indian T20I side for the three-match T20I series that begins later this week. In his place, the selectors have named Shikhar Dhawan, who makes a comeback after opting to sit out of the ODI series to be with his ill wife.

Also making a comeback to the squad are Delhi pacer Ashish Nehra and Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-bat Dinesh Karthik. Apart from Rahane, the selectors have decided to rest pacers Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav for the upcoming series.

What's next?

The three-match T20I series between India and Australia will begin on October 7 in MS Dhoni's hometown Ranchi before moving to Guwahati for the second match on October 10. The third and final match of the series will be played in Hyderabad on October 13.

Author's Take

It is good to see the Indian selectors rotating the squad and giving everyone a chance to prove themselves ahead of the 2019 World Cup. As far as excluding Rahane from the T20I squad in spite of doing well in the ODI series, the selectors, yet again, have taken a brilliant call as the right-hander struggles to accelerate in the format and at the same time, there are better T20 openers than him in the pecking order.