"Whatever he says, you listen" - Ajinkya Rahane's huge praise for MS Dhoni's captaincy after his fiery batting in IPL 2023

Ajinkya Rahane raises his bat after scoring fifty. (Image Credits: Twitter)

Chennai Super Kings batter Ajinkya Rahane, who is playing under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the first time in the IPL this season, recently talked about how "great" the experience has been. Rahane also stated that whenever the keeper-batter speaks, people drop everything to listen.

Rahane continued his sensational form in IPL 2023 on Sunday, hitting an unbeaten 71 against the Kolkata Knight Riders in a 49-run win for his side. His 29-ball knock, which came at a staggering strike rate of 244.82 as CSK amassed the highest total of the season (235), took his run tally to 209 runs from five games.

When asked what has worked for him this season, the Maharashtra-born batter said that a clear mindset and pre-tournament preparations have played a significant role. The right-hander also revealed that he tried to target the short side of the ground.

"Just a clear mindset and nothing else," Rahane said in the post-match presentation after CSK's win over KKR. "If that's right, you can do anything and so just wanted to keep my mind clear. The prep before the season was very good. Ball was stopping and the pitch was a little sticky, but the outfield was fast and one side was small. Ruturaj batted very well and I just wanted to be positive."

Speaking about playing under Dhoni, he said:

"I enjoyed all the knocks this season and I feel my best is yet to come. Great learning to play under MS. Played under him at India and playing under him at CSK for the first time. Whatever he says, you listen."

The platform for CSK's match-winning total (235) was laid by the 73-run stand between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway. Following that, Rahane and Shivam Dube launched a ferocious assault on the bowlers, combining to add 85.

With the ball, Matheesha Pathirana and Tushar Deshpande took two wickets each to limit the Knight Riders to 186/8. Half-centuries from Jason Roy and Rinku Singh during the chase went in vain for the hosts.

Ajinkya Rahane could return to the Test side for the World Test Championship final

Ajinkya Rahane. (Image Credits: Twitter)

Given his form in the IPL, the former Indian Test vice-captain is reportedly in the frame for a return to the national side. Rahane, who has nearly 5000 Test runs, last played the format in January 2022 during the South Africa tour. He managed only 136 runs in three Tests in that series, leading to his omission from the team.

With Shreyas Iyer unlikely to feature in the WTC final after undergoing a back injury, India could well play Rahane in the final. The team will face Australia in the decider on June 7 at The Oval.