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The former India National Cricket Team captain Ajinkya Rahane recently announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Rahane has now opened up on why he chose to bat aggressively in T20 cricket after joining the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad. He completely transformed his batting while batting for the Men in Yellow in the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL).
Ajinkya Rahane has been one of the most underrated cricketers. He has been a terrific Test captain for the Men in Blue and won the series down under against Australia back in 2020-21 when nearly half the side was injured, and some senior cricketers were missing. He recently shared the innings that changed his life.
Ajinkya Rahane reveals his batting transformation in T20 cricket
While speaking to the Indian Express, Ajinkya Rahane said to bat at a mere strike rate of 120 in the shortest format as well, stated that he started playing aggressively after joining CSK in 2023 as he tried to expand his range of shots, and CSK gave him clarity and backed him.
"Before IPL 2023, I spent two months preparing and worked on expanding my range of shots. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) also made one thing very clear: Whenever I got an opportunity, they would back me completely.
"I wasn’t even supposed to play my first game, but an injury gave me the chance. That innings against Mumbai changed everything, but it was built on the preparation I had put in beforehand."
"My job was to anchor"- Ajinkya Rahane reveals batting role before joining CSK
Ajinkya Rahane also opened up on his poor strike rate as he stated that he used to get fewer opportunities after leaving the Rajasthan Royals (RR). He revealed that every cricketer needs to get clarity to play with freedom and that is when the best comes out of him.
"From 2019, after leaving Rajasthan Royals (RR), I hardly got opportunities with Delhi Capitals (DC) and spent one season with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). A player needs confidence and surety to play with freedom. Before DC, I played for RR for eight years. My job was to anchor the innings while others attacked around me. I played accordingly."
Ajinkya Rahane opens up on KKR captaincy
Apart from speaking on his changed approach, he also discussed captaining the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL for two seasons. He was appointed the captain in 2025 and continued till 2026. In both seasons, KKR failed to qualify for the playoffs under his leadership and performed poorly.
"I was vocal because I wanted to take the pressure away from my teammates, especially our inexperienced bowling attack. I wanted people to focus on me instead of the team so the players could perform freely. As a leader, you sometimes have to take the blame," said Rahane (via the aforementioned source).
"We had lost five of our first six games, but I had seen what our bowlers could do in the nets and believed they would deliver. I am generally not very outspoken, but I felt I had to become a different version of myself. It worked, and we started winning."
