"Rahane is finished even in Ranji Trophy" - Fans react to Mumbai skipper registering 2nd consecutive golden duck against Kerala

Mumbai batter Ajinkya Rahane continued his bad run of form with a second consecutive golden duck in the ongoing Ranji Trophy encounter against Kerala.

After winning the toss and batting first, Rahane was caught behind off his first delivery against the bowling of Basil Thampi. Rahane entered the game on the back of a first-ball naught in Mumbai's previous clash against Andhra.

The dismal showing is on the heels of being dropped from the Indian Test side that recently drew the series in South Africa. Rahane suffered a similar axe after the 2021-22 tour of South Africa. However, he earned a spot back in the Indian red-ball side for the WTC final last year on the back of terrific domestic performances.

While the veteran batter was India's leading scorer in that game against Australia with 89 and 46, he endured back-to-back single-digit scores in his two innings in the following series against the West Indies.

The dreadful start to his Ranji Trophy campaign further lessens his chances of returning to the Indian Test setup. Ironically, Rahane's second golden duck comes on the third anniversary of his leading Team India to arguably their most famous Test series win in Brisbane in 2021.

Fans on Twitter had mixed emotions about Ajinkya Rahane's dismal run, with some joyous that India had moved on from the Mumbai skipper, while others saddened to see one of India's stalwarts struggling for runs.

Here are some of the best reactions:

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"My goal is to secure both the Ranji Trophy and the bigger objective of playing in 100 Test matches" - Ajinkya Rahane

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Ajinkya Rahane recently spoke about wanting to lead Mumbai to Ranji Trophy glory and playing 100 Tests for India as his primary objective. He stated the same after Mumbai secured their second consecutive outright win to sit pretty on top of Elite Group B after two games.

"My goal is to secure both the Ranji Trophy and the bigger objective of playing in 100 Test matches. I'm focused on performing well for Mumbai and taking each game one step at a time. It's been a very good start for us this season. The challenge is to be consistent because when you want to win the Ranji Trophy, it is all about being consistent throughout the period of time," Rahane told reporters.

The 35-year-old has played 85 Tests for India and scored over 5,000 runs at an average of 38.46 with 12 centuries.

Rahane was integral to several of India's overseas victories, including back-to-back Test series wins in Australia.