"I am trying to be the Ajinkya what I used to be in my initial days" - Rahane  

Ajinkya Rahane spoke about his ongoing Ranji Trophy campaign with Mumbai and his processes to improve as a player. His last appearance for India came during the tour of South Africa and he has an uphill battle ahead if he wishes to reclaim his spot in the Indian middle order.

While the right-handed batter has amassed 532 runs across five matches in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season so far while leading the side at the same time, a rather inevitable omission from the national contract list could only complicate his journey to the top.

As a result, he is likely to be on the domestic circuit for the long haul, with franchise cricket providing a small respite.

He was roped in by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 mini-auction after being released by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Revealing that he is trying to revert to the batter that he was during his initial cricketing days, Rahane told PTI in an interaction during Mumbai's ongoing Ranji game against Delhi:

"I was thinking about old times and when I first came into Ranji team (back in 2007). How I used to play, what was my thought process. I have gone back to the drawing board and I am trying to be the Ajinkya what I used to be in my initial days."

Rahane continued:

"The idea is to keep things simple. No major changes but small changes, skill wise, now I have to be in the moment thinking for Mumbai and doing well for them. That's on my mind completely."

Rahane's spot in the Indian batting unit has been largely claimed by Shreyas Iyer. The fellow Mumbai batter has grabbed the opportunity with both hands as he is yet to misplace a step since his iconic debut against New Zealand in Kanpur almost 15 months ago.

New middle-order candidates like Suryakumar Yadav have also entered the fray for red-ball cricket, making Rahane's return even more complicated.

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"Control the controllables and not dwell on things that are not in your hands" - Ajinkya Rahane's advice to Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan

It took a record-breaking effort from Prithvi Shaw on top of his already excellent exploits to earn a national team call-up.

The aggressive opening batter has been called up to the T20I squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand at home.

Another prospect who has been lighting up the domestic circuit, Sarfaraz Khan, however, was snubbed by the selectors for the Border-Gavaskar Test series squad.

Commenting on how the youngsters should react to the recent selection calls, Rahane said:

"My advice to them would be simple. Control the controllables and not dwell on things that are not in your hands. Just try and be in the moment and not think too far ahead."

Opening his door to any potential issues that the player has to talk about, Rahane continued:

"You have to put your arm around guys who are going through rough patch. Important to give them freedom to express themselves not only on the field but also off the field.The individual can come to me and talk to me about anything that's going on in his personal life."

Mumbai are placed second in Elite Group B of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. They have notched three wins and a draw while suffering a solitary loss so far.

Will the senior batter ever feature for Team India again? Let us know what you think.

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