India are set to face Australia in the World Test Championship Final beginning on June 7. Ajinkya Rahane will be back in the Indian jersey after nearly 18 months. He impressed everyone with his brilliant batting for Chennai Super Kings in the recently concluded Indian Premier League. Ahead of the WTC final, he said that he doesn't have any "regrets" for the time lost and would like to bat in the upcoming event with the same "intent" as he did in the IPL.
"Coming back after 18-19 months, whatever has happened, good or bad, I don't want to think about my past. I just want to start afresh and keep doing whatever I have been doing," Rahane told BCCI.TV.
"Personally enjoyed playing for CSK as I have been batting well throughout the season, even before IPL. I had a very good domestic season and I felt good. So this comeback was a bit emotional for me," he added.
Rahane, who was a part of CSK's fifth IPL title-winning side finished the season by scoring 326 runs off 14 matches and the highest score of 71 runs. He smashed two half-centuries and hammered 24 fours and 16 sixes.
"I want to bat with the same mindset and show the same intent that I showed before coming here in IPL and Ranji Trophy. I would not like to think about format whether it is T20 or Tests. The way I am batting now, I don't want to complicate things and the more I keep it simple, the better it is for me," Rahane said.
Rahane thanked his family and friends for the support he got during his time away from the national team.
"It was (an) emotional moment for me. When I got dropped, the support I got from my family was massive and my dream was to play for India and that was massive. Playing for India matters a lot for me and I worked hard on my fitness and went back to domestic cricket."
"What made my comeback possible was enjoying each and every moment, be it success or failure, and having no regrets. Learning from every individual in the Mumbai Ranji team. You have to grow as a cricketer every single day, the learning process shouldn't stop," he said.
