Former Indian batter turned commentator Ajinkya Rahane hilariously shared how reinventing himself in T20 cricket after hard work did not lead to a better contract in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) but for his base price. CSK roped in Ajinkya Rahane ahead of the IPL 2023 season for ₹50 Lakh. He scored 326 runs at a strike rate of 172.49. Before that, he had never scored with a strike rate of over 140 in an IPL season as well. Later, KKR acquired him for his base price of ₹1.50 crore and made him captain. He scored 725 runs over the next two seasons as well.

“I had to work for almost a year, a year and a half, on different shots. Not power hitting, but six-hitting ability. Before the 2023 season I had with CSK, I was practicing hitting in different areas. Even after doing all that, my price did not go up,” Ajinkya Rahane said on Cricbuzz ahead of the third T20I against West Indies.

“A lot of empathy is coming the bowlers’ way as well. People have started to feel that 200 is becoming too easy. 250 is also being chased down. We need to look at what probably needs to change for them to get back in the game. Our man right here, Mr. Ajinkya Rahane, was a solid technician in Test cricket, and played good T20 cricket. But even he had to work on more shot-making towards the last couple of years in the IPL,” he said.

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However, India head coach Gautam Gambhir has again mentioned the state of pitches in the country over the course of the home series against West Indies. The second ODI in Guwahati saw India chase down 406 in just 43.3 overs, while the recently concluded second T20I witnessed West Indies score 250 with nine deliveries in hand.

“Don’t you want a good competition between bat and ball? We want what you want. If you only want to see only sixes and fours, then we want to see that too. If you want an even contest, then we want that too,” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference after the second T20I. “Gauti bhai said it rightly that we need to support our bowlers, give something for them from the wicket and conditions point of view. We also need to accept the reality of the T20 format, it is a batting-friendly format, it is basically for the fans, it is entertainment.”