Speaking ahead of the first test match between India and West Indies, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane shot back at claims that he is too old to play international cricket.Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Rahane said, “What do you mean by at this age I am still young. A lot of cricket is left in me.”Rahane, who turned 35 years old in June, was dropped from the national team last year. However, after a stunning season in the IPL, he was recalled to the team, and in a surprise move, handed the role of vice-captaincy again.“I had a good IPL, I scored runs in domestic cricket too. Batting-wise, I got a lot of confidence. I have worked a lot on my fitness in the last one and a half years. Right now, Im enjoying the kind of cricket Im playing and not thinking too far ahead. Each and every match is important personally as well as for the team,” he said.Rahane credits CSK for giving him freedom says used to vice captain roleAjinkya Rahane was released by the Kolkata Knight Riders after a series of mediocre seasons but was picked by the Chennai Super Kings. After warming the bench for a couple of games, Rahane was introduced by CSK and has looked like a changed player since.In what turned out to be a breakout season for him, Rahane finished the season with a career-high strike rate of 172.49 – 35 more than his previous best in 2019.He was recalled to the Indian national team after injuries to key players such as KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer and was a standout performer in an otherwise disappointing WTC final against Australia.Rahane credits the full freedom afforded to him by the CSK for his improved batting performances this season. “Nothing has changed. CSK gave me the freedom. As a player, you are given a role which you have to fulfil. I was given a role. I was earlier playing as an anchor. CSK told me to play my natural game. My natural game involves a lot of strokeplay and looking out for runs. Here, I will fulfill whatever role Rohit [Sharma] gives me,” he said.Ajinkya Rahane said, CSK gave me full freedom and gave me a role. Earlier I was given the role of an anchor, but in CSK I was given the freedom to play my natural game. (Revsportz). pic.twitter.com/zIxY6DbNau— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 11, 2023When quizzed about his role as vice-captain, Rahane said, “I am used to this role. I was vice-captain for 4-5 years. I am really happy to be back in the team, really happy to be back as vice-captain.”
