'My only PR is my cricket': Ajinkya Rahane opens up on India's Test snub, says 'I have realised that...'

File photo of Ajinkya Rahane

Once India's red ball specialist - Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara - are no longer part of the Test setup. The duo, who were part of India's many glorious triumphs, especially in Down Under, find themselves far in the reckoning order and now with fingers being pointed at Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's future, India's most decorated batters, the signs of Rahane and Pujara making a return appear a bit far-fetched.

However, their absence were clearly felt in India's recent Test drubbings against New Zealand at home and then Australia in Down Under. The Black Caps absolutely stunned India and handed them a 3-0 whitewash, a result that exposed Team India's frailties against spin. The ominous form continued in Australia, where India conceded the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in ten years after losing the five-match series 3-1. This time too the top-order failure, in particular Kohli and Rohit's lean patch, hurt the team the most.

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While Pujara was part of the series as an expert, Rahane refused the offer as claimed by him in an interview to Indian Express and continued to ply his trade in the domestic circuit. In the same interview, Rahane was also asked if he had any conversation with the selectors on his snub from the Test side. Responding to the same, the batter said he didn't and when many suggested him to 'go and talk' the 36-year-old felt "one can only talk when the other person is ready to talk. If he is not ready, there is no point fighting."

"I’m not the person who will go and ask why I’m being dropped. There was no communication. Many said ‘go and talk’ but one can only talk when the other person is ready to talk. If he is not ready, there is no point fighting. I wanted to talk one on one. I never messaged. I felt odd when I was dropped after the WTC final because I had worked hard for it. I thought I would be there for the next series. There is no point cribbing. I can only do what is in my hands. There is a belief that I will make a comeback," Rahane told the national daily.

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He also mentioned that being an introvert didn't help his case either, pointing out the PR culture, which resonates with the star players these days. "I was always shy, now I have opened up. My focus has been to play cricket and go home. Nobody told me that going ahead, certain things will be needed. Today also, sometimes I feel ki bus cricket khelo, ghar jao. Now I am told I need to speak up, talk about my hard work. People say you need to be in the news … I don’t have a PR team, my only PR is my cricket. I have now realised that staying in the news is important. Otherwise, people think that I’m out of the circle," said Rahane.

India will now only play Tests against England, which starts in late June, and it'll be interesting to see if the forgotten star can make a comeback or not. Rahane is currently engaged in the Ranji Trophy, where he leads Mumbai, who are currently playing the semifinal against Vidharbha in Nagpur.