Ex-India stalwart gives up state captaincy with an eye on team’s future

Originally posted on Guerilla Cricket | By Aryan Surana | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 11:44 PM ET

On the day experienced campaigner Ajinkya Rahane announced his decision to relinquish Mumbai’s captaincy in the Ranji Trophy, another seasoned India pro, Cheteshwar Pujara, made himself available for the upcoming season. Rahane added that he intends to continue playing for Mumbai even as he steps down from the leadership role.

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

Recently, Pujara was overlooked for the Duleep Trophy by the West Zone selectors, who said they wanted to groom youngsters. Saurashtra will benefit from his wealth of experience in India’s premier domestic red-ball competition, which is scheduled to begin on October 15, with Saurashtra facing Karnataka in their opening game. Meanwhile, Rahane put out a statement stating it is time for a younger captain to take the steering wheel. The 37-year-old captained Mumbai in 70 matches, across formats, in a domestic career of over 18 years that includes 186 fixtures, again across formats.

He was at the helm for Mumbai in 25 first class games, 19 List A games and 26 T20 matches. Under his stewardship Mumbai lifted their 42nd Ranji Trophy championship in the 2023-24 season. He also lifted the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy as a skipper in 2022/23, a feat Mumbai repeated last season but under Shreyas Iyer’s tutelage. Rahane ended up as the player of the tournament, slamming 469 runs at a strike rate of 164.56.

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

This article first appeared on Guerilla Cricket and was syndicated with permission.

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