Ajinkya Rahane to join Mumbai's off-season practice camp

Ajinkya Rahane has recovered from his injury and is expected to join Mumbai’s off-season camp to be held at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s indoor nets facility at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) from early next week.

To note, Rahane had suffered a hamstring injury during the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). Opening the innings for the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the right-handed batter played a few decent knocks, but he had to leave the KKR camp after suffering the injury. The senior batter is among 47 other players who have been named by Mumbai selectors for an off-season fitness camp at BKC, which is slated to start on August 22 or 23.

The presence of senior players like him will help youngsters in the camp: Mumbai chief selector

“Rahane has come back from the National Cricket Academy (after recuperating from the injury). He’s fine now. I met him recently. The presence of senior players like him will help youngsters in the camp,” Mumbai chief selector Salil Ankola told TOI. “We had conveyed to Tare last season that he’s not in the scheme of things in white-ball cricket.”

Talking about Rahane, the right-handed batter was not part of the Indian squad to face England in the rescheduled fifth Test match. The senior batter has also struggled lately in the international arena and he will surely want to make a strong comeback and return to India’s Test team.

The 34-year-old has played 82 Test matches and has scored 4931 runs at an average of almost 39. Rahane has also stroked 25 fifties and 12 centuries for India in the Test arena with his highest being 188. Rahane has also played 90 ODIs and 20 T20Is for the Men in Blue and has amassed 2962 and 375 runs respectively.  The senior batter has 24 fifties and three centuries in the 50-over format, while he has stroked one half-century in the 20-over format.