Out-of-favour India batter Ajinkya Rahane is eyeing an opportunity to make a comeback into the Indian Test squad and remains firm on playing 100 Tests for the country.
Leading Mumbai in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, Rahane is determined to help his side claim the Ranji Trophy title and "the bigger objective of playing in 100 Test matches".
Rahane made his comeback into the Test squad for the World Test Championship (2021-23) final and was one of the very few batters who showed some resistance against the rampaging Australian bowling attack spearheaded by left-arm speedster Mitchell Starc.
With scores of 89 and 46 during the first and the second innings of the WTC final at The Oval in London, Rahane kept India in the game but not for long as the other batters succumbed to the relentless pressure applied by the Aussies.
He was retained for the two-match Test series against the West Indies in the Caribbean in July 2023 but could only aggregate scores of 3 and 8 on the tour.
When the selectors convened to pick a squad for the away Test tour in South Africa they snubbed Rahane and decided to show faith in the youngsters.
However, the ouster from the Test squad hasn't worn him down and he looks to script yet another comeback into India's Test set-up.
He wasn't a part of Mumbai's playing XI that took on Bihar at the Moin-Ul-Haq Stadium in Patna in the Ranji Trophy 2024 opener but came back for the second fixture against Andhra.
Reflection upon the start to the tournament, Rahane said: "It's been a very good start for us this season.
The challenge is to be consistent because when you want to win the Ranji Trophy, it is all about being consistent throughout the period of time."
"We are looking to take one game at a time. It's a home-away format so the conditions keep changing. We have to be in the moment, try and see how the wickets are," he added.
