Ajinkya Rahane accuses Ajit Agarkar of keeping him in dark over Test snub: 'Wasn't ready to talk'

Veteran India cricketer Ajinkya Rahane feels there was no communication between him and the chief selector Ajit Agarkar after he was dropped from India's Test team. Rahane still has the desire to play for India and is working hard to get his place back.

Ajinkya Rahane was once one of the most important Test players for India. He was the team's vice-captain when Virat Kohli used to lead the side. However, a lean patch of form affected his place in the team and he was subsequently dropped.

The middle-order batter played the World Test Championship 2023 final against Australia and was India's best batter in that game, returning with 89 and 46 across both the innings. He had a disappointing series against West Indies afterwards and has been out of the team since.

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Ajinkya Rahane takes a dig at Ajit Agarkar

While speaking to Indian Express, Ajinkya Rahane expressed his disappointment over getting dropped from the Test team. He claimed that there was no communication between him and the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar.

"I'm not the person who will go and ask why I'm being dropped. There was no communication. Many said 'go and talk' but one can only talk when the other person is ready to talk. If he is not ready, there is no point fighting. I wanted to talk one on one. I never messaged," Rahane said.

The new selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar decided to move on from the senior players and pick younger players. Rahane was replaced by the younger players like Sarfaraz Khan and Shreyas Iyer in the middle order but both have been unable to solidify their positions.

"There is still fire and passion in me" - Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane further claimed that Ajit Agarkar is not ready to talk despite the former wanting a one-on-one conversation. Despite being dropped from the team, he is still optimistic of making a comeback into the national side.

"I felt odd when I was dropped after the WTC final because I had worked hard for it. I thought I would be there for the next series. There is no point cribbing. I can only do what is in my hands. There is a belief that I will make a comeback," said Rahane.

"There is still fire and passion in me. I'm playing Ranji Trophy at the moment, trying to give my all to the Mumbai team. The goal is clear to make another comeback," he added.

After getting dropped from the Test team, Rahane has continuously played domestic cricket for Mumbai and performed well. Under his leadership, Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 title with Rahane scoring a vital fifty in the final.

Ajinkya Rahane's Test numbers

Ajinkya Rahane has played 85 Tests and scored 5077 runs at an average of 38.46 with 12 hundreds and 26 fifties. The right-hander was once seen as India's next captain after Virat Kohli but soon lost his batting form after which he was dropped.

Under his leadership, India won the famous Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 after Virat Kohli became unavailable following the first match of the series. India lost the first Test of the series but won two out of the next three matches to create history.