Only a couple of seasons ago—March 28, 2007— to be precise, Vinayak Mane had struck a sedate but match-winning 86 against Rajasthan as Mumbai completed a domestic double by winning the Ranji Trophy and the one-day competition in the same year.

But that was also one of the last good hits he had in the Mumbai colours as surgeries and lack of form took a toll on his spot in the record-breaking team.

Back again as the captain of the Jammu & Kashmir side which marks a fresh start, the 27-year-old has some unfinished business in the middle. One of them will surely be to change the perception of him being a cricketer who was once in the reckoning for an India call-up.

“I have nothing against the Mumbai selectors. They were looking for younger players and I was struggling with injuries and form. So its okay, I took the decision in my stride,” he said minutes after his team thrashed Services by nine wickets in the ongoing Syed Mustaq Ali T20 North Zone match at the Palam ground on Wednesday.

Three surgeries on his left forearm, and another on his hip meant that over the last few seasons, he had lost his place in the Mumbai first XI.

“In the 2005-06 season I was struggling to make runs, had a few decent starts but not a single big score. And then I told the selectors that I wasn’t available. I went back and made runs in local cricket and tried to make a comeback. But by then I had lost it,” he added.

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