My aim is to play 100 Test matches: Ajinkya Rahane

With Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul not being available for selection, Ajinkya Rahane was called up for the finals of the World Test Championship against Australia in 2023. He proved to be India’s best batter and following this, the Mumbai-born cricketer was also called up for the two-match Test series against West Indies and was made the vice-captain. However, the cricketer was dropped from the South Africa tour after the return of Rahul and Iyer.

Rahane however isn’t ready to give up just yet. The veteran batter opened up about his goals as he expressed his desire to play 100 Test matches for the country. Notably, the 35-year-old has represented India in 85 Test matches so far, scoring 5077 runs at an average of 38.46. He also talked about his goal to win the Ranji Trophy in the ongoing season.

“I’m looking for a do well for Mumbai one game at a time. The aim is to lift the Ranji Trophy and bigger aim is to play 100 Test matches,” Rahane was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

At the international level, your mindset should be right: Rahane

Speaking about the qualities one needs to succeed in international cricket, Rahane stated that the mindset needs to be correct. He mentioned that every cricketer has more or less the same qualities but a good mindset is what the team management looks for. He further mentioned that how a cricketer deals with failure also matters in international cricket.

“It’s all about the mindset. Your game doesn’t suddenly change. In the end, the batter has to watch the ball and play. But it’s about mindset when you over there… what you are thinking… that is different for each individual. How you prepare, the process you follow… all those small things matter. You just can’t think about just batting and bowling. At the international level, your mindset should be right. How strong you are mentally is important as well. How you handle pace, how you handle failure. All these things matter,” Rahane said.