Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane on Thursday (2nd June) talked about his injury which has ruled him out of contention for India selection as well as the Ranji Trophy knockouts.
Rahane who played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2022, was ruled out of the tournament just before their campaign came to an end as he suffered a tendon tear in his left hamstring during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Pune on May 14.
The senior Indian batter was reportedly ruled out of action for 2 months with a hamstring injury. His injury ruled him out of the Test match against England, which is scheduled to take place in July this year and also the knockout phase of the Ranji Trophy 2022, which will take place in June.
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Talking about his performance in IPL 15, Rahane had a poor outing in the IPL 2022. He managed just 133 runs in seven innings at an average of just 19 and a strike rate of 103.90.
The right-hander was also axed from India’s squad for the home Test series against Sri Lanka after the poor outings on South Africa tour. His injury will only worsen his case for a comeback in the Indian side but Rahane is optimistic about the return.
Speaking to PTI, Rahane said that it was very unfortunate that he suffered the injury but he’s managing it well at NCA and he’s expected to be fully fit by the next 6-8 weeks.
“That (injury) was really unfortunate. But my rehab is going really well. I am recovering really well. I was in Bangalore (at the NCA) for nearly 10 days and I am going there again for my rehab and recovery. It’s been on track
“So right now my only focus is on getting better. Get fit as soon as possible and be on the field. I am not sure (when) I will be able to get (fully) fit, it is expected to be around 6-8 weeks but at this moment it is about taking one day at a time, one week at a time,” Rahane said.
Rahane talked about his time with KKR in IPL 2022. He said that he enjoyed the atmosphere there and the management gave him the freedom to express himself. He also credited Brendon McCullum and added that he learned a lot playing under him.
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“My experience with KKR was really good. I really enjoyed playing for KKR and the atmosphere there was really good. It is kind of a family atmosphere. We enjoyed each other’s success on and off the field but unfortunately, we couldn’t qualify for the play-offs.
“They (KKR team management) gave me a lot of freedom to play my game and I thought it was something special. Playing under (then KKR head coach) Brendon McCullum , I learnt a lot,” he said.
Ajinkya Rahane, under whom India won Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2020-21, said that his knock in Melbourne during that tour was one of his best innings. He said that it was special because it came when the team needed it the most.
“Definitely that hundred (in Melbourne) was really special and I think that is one of my best hundreds so far overseas and also in Test cricket. Considering what happened in Adelaide, 36 all out, losing the Test match and then going to Melbourne with a different mindset and getting a hundred there and winning the Test was more special,” he said.
Rahane has so far played 82 Tests for India, scoring 4931 runs at an average of 38.35 to go with 12 centuries and 25 half-centuries. He also has played 90 ODIs and 20 T20Is, amassing 2962 and 375 runs respectively.
(PTI inputs)
