Opening the innings, Rahane has given blistering starts to Mumbai and scored 432 runs in eight innings. He was always considered a consistent batter but has been critisized for playing too slowly in the shortest format in the past. This has never been a problem in the ongoing tournament as his runs have come at an astonishing strike rate of 170.
His scores in SMAT read 13 (13), 52 (34), 68 (35), 22 (18), 95 (54), 84 (45), and 98 (56). He
All this without him compromising on his core batting technique. After taking his team into the final, Rahane said that it was all a matter of change in the mindset.“It’s just a mindset change. The way this format is going on throughout the world, it is important to play with a fearless attitude, playing with freedom,” Rahane said in a media interaction.
Rahane the power hitter
Known for his classical batting, with most shots along the ground, Rahane has now transformed himself into a six hitter. The opener has smashed 19 sixes in the tournament so far.
“My game is always about the time. I’m not too strong. It’s not about power hitting. For me, it’s always about timing the ball. It’s always about the extension of my defence,” said the elegant batter after the semi-final knock.
“Even though I’m playing at a strike rate of 190-200, it’s still classical batting. It’s not power-hitting. It’s always about trying to play over mid-off, over mid-on, over extra covers for left-arm spinners,” the 36-year-old added. However, he likes to try a few innovative T20 shots sometimes.
“I do play different shots — reverse sweep, scoop. But you don’t want to expose all the shots in one game. You try to assess the situation and conditions, see the pace, how the ball is coming, pace of the wicket, and try to play accordingly.”
Rahane spoke of the importance of playing the field at will.
“You should have one extra shot with you whenever you’re batting so that you can play with the fielder. You should not have fear of failure,” he explained.
Chennai Super Kings transformation
The Indian batter credited IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings for his success in the SMAT. As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo he said, “The message from them was clear: go out there and play your natural game.”
It is no surprise as Rahane’s shift in mentality was first noticed in IPL 2023 when he hit the ball at strike rate of 172.48 while batting for the Chennai Super Kings.
He will be seen once again in IPL 2025 donning the Kolkata Knight Riders jersey, with some pundits even pitching him to captain the franchise in upcoming season.
“It was never about, ‘You play an anchor role and others will play around you’. [From] other teams, the message for me was, ‘Play till 15-16 overs and others will play around you’. That’s why I was playing with a strike rate of 120-130. But the last two years have really helped me a lot in the shorter format.”
Rahane’s India journey
Rahane was at the peak of his prowess for India, especially in Test cricket, from 2013-2022. He was among the famous middle order trio that featured Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, when India never lost a series at home from 2012 to 2024. Batting at five in most matches, the batter accumulated 12 Test hundreds.
The Mumbaikar has also captained India in Test cricket whenever Virat Kohli was not available during his tenure. He has achieved success as a leader and has been unbeaten, having won four matches and drawn two matches in the six Tests that he has captained for India.
The greatest highlight of Rahane’s leadership abilities came to the forefront when India defeated Australia in a Test series in Australia with most of the regular players injured in 2020-21. The hosts suffered their first defeat at GABBA, Brisbane in 36 years.
Jinks, as he is fondly called, had scored a century at the MCG in the Boxing Day Test after India had dramatically been bowled out for 36 at Adelaide. This was also the time when Kohli left the team for a paternity break. Rahane’s inspired innings and leadership provided memorable wins at Melbourne and Brisbane, while India managed a hard fought draw in Sydney.
In February, Rahane led Mumbai to a Ranji Trophy title and the team also went on to win the Irani Trophy after beating Rest of India earlier this year.
His batting form was on the dip ever since the Covid-19 pandemic. He averaged in the mid 20s since the start of 2020 and was subsequently dropped from the Indian team. He last played a Test for India in June 2023 against the West Indies.
