Pujara available for Ranji season; Rahane quits Mumbai captaincy

On the day veteran Ajinkya Rahane announced his decision to step down as Mumbai's Ranji Trophy captain, another seasoned India cricketer, Cheteshwar Pujara, made himself available for the upcoming season. Rahane too has said he intends to continue playing for Mumbai.

A senior Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) official confirmed Pujara's availability. "He has signalled his readiness to play in the upcoming Ranji season. It is, of course, good news for us as his experience will be a big advantage for the team," an SCA official told Cricbuzz.

A red-ball stalwart for India with 103 Tests, the 37-year-old Pujara now turns out only in the multi-day matches for his home state. Pujara scored 402 runs in seven games last season, averaging 40.2 with one century and a half-century, as Saurashtra bowed out in the quarterfinals against Gujarat. He has been out of India's Test side since the World Test Championship final at The Oval in June 2023, his last appearance for the national side.

Recently, Pujara was left out of the Duleep Trophy by the West Zone selectors, who said they wanted to focus on youngsters. While he did not respond to a query from this website, an SCA official said Saurashtra hopes to benefit from his experience. The Ranji Trophy begins on October 15, with Saurashtra facing Karnataka in their opening game.

Meanwhile, Rahana put out a statement stating it is time for a younger captain to take charge of the Mumbai team. "Captaining and winning championships with the Mumbai team has been an absolute honour. With a new domestic season ahead, I believe it's the right time to groom a new leader, and hence I've decided not to continue in the captaincy role.

"I remain fully committed to giving my best as a player and will continue my journey with Mumbai cricket to help us win more trophies. Looking forward to the season," Rahane said. The 37-year-old captained Mumbai in 70 games, across formats, in a domestic career of over 18 years that includes 186 games, again across formats.

He led Mumbai in 25 first class games, 19 List A games and 26 T20 matches. Under him Mumbai lifted their 42nd Ranji Trophy championship in the 2023-24 season. He also won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament as a skipper in 2022/23, a feat Mumbai repeated last season but under Shreyas Iyer's captaincy. Rahane ended up as the player of the tournament, scoring 469 runs at a strike rate of 164.56.

He has also led India in three ODIs, two T20Is and six Tests, including the famous wins at the MCG and Gabba during the 2020-21 Australia tour.