Ajinkya Rahane's Explosive Batting Display Ignites SMAT with Hat-Trick of 50s, Including Dominating Hardik Pandya

Four years ago today, Ajinkya Rahane was in Australia, leading India to a historic series win Down Under despite a multitude of challenges. The Indian squad was plagued with injuries, with players being ruled out one after another. However, Rahane's exceptional leadership shone through as India achieved a remarkable come-from-behind victory. They successfully chased down 328 runs on the final day to clinch the series 2-1, handing Australia their first defeat at the Gabba since 1988. It was a testament to Rahane's astuteness and resilience as captain.

Cut to 2024, and things have changed dramatically. Rahane is no longer part of India's Test squad, but that didn't stop him from celebrating India's return to the Gabba. A day before India take on Australia at a venue Rahane has fond memories of, the veteran India batter set the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament ablaze, smashing 98 off 56 balls to guide Mumbai into the final. Rahane bludgeoned 11 fours and 5 sixes to chase down the 159-run target set by Baroda.

"The message from them was clear: go out there and play your natural game," Rahane said after the match. "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, who last played for India in a Test match against West Indies last year, has shown exemplary form in SMAT. In fact, Rahane knocked 98 in his third consecutive half-century, following 95 against Andhra and 84 versus Vidarbha. That Rahane is batting with such consistency bodes well for IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, who bought the batter for ₹1.5 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction.

After Prithvi Shaw was dismissed cheaply, Rahane and Shreyas Iyer out on an 88-run partnership, with the Mumbai captain Iyer scoring 46 off 30 balls. But Rahane held one end and almost saw the team through to win. Two short of his 100, Rahane perished but had done enough to ensure Mumbai a smooth passage into the finals. Rahane went after every bowler, not even sparing his former India teammate Hardik Pandya, taking him for 15 runs, including a four and six.

Rahane is the highest run-getter of the 2024/25 SMAT, leading the charts with 432 runs from 7 innings at an average of 61.71 and strike-rate of 169.41. This was his fifth half-century of the season – he had hit consecutive fifties against Maharashtra (52) and Kerala (62) during the round-robin stage.

"I'm not too strong, [and] it's not about power hitting. For me, it's always about timing the ball. But at the same time, having that intent from ball number one. And it's always about the extension of my defence - all the shots. So I'm just focusing on that. I'm not trying to play too hard or, trying to play a big shot. It's always about the timing of the ball, and maintaining my shape all the time," added Rahane.

Baroda's performance with bat and ball wasn't up to the mark. As many as four batters got starts but couldn't convert it into anything substantial. Each of Mumbai's six bowlers picked up a wicket each. Hardik disappointed with the bat, getting out caught and bowled to Shivam Dube for 5, while captain Krunal scored 30 off 24.