Ajinkya Rahane announces retirement from international cricket
New Delhi: Former India captain Ajinkya Rahane announced his retirement from international cricket on Thursday, July 30. The veteran batter said it was the right time for him to “move on” as he brought the curtains down on a successful international career spanning over a decade. Rahane last played for in a Test match against West Indies in 2023.
Majorly a Test specialist in the final lap of his career, Rahane was ousted from the squad as India embarked on a transition in the longest format. In his prime, the Mumbai batter was the backbone of India’s batting line-up in Tests alongside Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara. Rahane played a key role in India’s Test dominance under Kohli, and himself guided the team to a memorable Test series victory in Australia as captain.
“The reality of life is that everything has a beginning and everything has an end. When the time comes, we simply have to respect it and move forward. I have always relied on timing in my batting and I have always understood its importance. Today, I feel the timing is right for me to move on and announce my retirement from international cricket and all formats,” Rahane said in a post on social media on Thursday.
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From Mumbai’s maidans to Team India
Rahane began his journey as a cricketer from Mumbai’s iconic maidans and rose through the ranks in the city’s competitive domestic system. The senior batter rose from the streets of Dombivli to become one of the most reliable batters for India in Test cricket. The 38-year-old revealed how he always played by the philosophy of team over individual.
“From those early days travelling from Dombivli as a young boy just to practice, I gave this game everything I had. Every single day, every innings, every opportunity I got to bat, the dream was always to wear the India cap. I lived by one simple rule: always put my country and my team ahead of myself,” said Rahane.
Rahane made his first-class debut for Mumbai in 2007 and soon started making waves with his consistent performances in the domestic circuit. His strong technique stood out and an India call-up became inevitable after his exploits for Mumbai. Rahane made his T20I debut for India in 2011 and earned his maiden ODI cap the following year.
He made his Test debut against Australia in 2013. An all-format batter in the initial years of his international career, Rahane was part of India’s ODI World Cup team in 2015. While his white-ball performances dipped and he lost his place in the side after the rise of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, Rahane established his credentials as a Test specialist.
He slammed his maiden Test ton against New Zealand at Wellington in 2014 before smashing a brilliant 103-run knock against England at Lord’s to help India secure their first Test victory at the iconic venue in 28 years. Rahane then shone in Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014-15 to become of India’s most reliable batters overseas.
Rahane played 85 Tests, 90 ODIs and 20 T20Is for India in his international career. He amassed 5077 runs in Tests, including several memorable knocks at home and overseas to help India dominate in the longest format. He finished with 2962 runs in ODIs and scored 375 runs in T20Is.
Winning Border-Gavaskar Trophy as captain
One of Rahane’s best moments in his career arrived in Australia, when he led India to a remarkable turnaround and a memorable Test series victory Down Under. Rahane helped India win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 as captain in the absence of regular skipper Kohli.
India began the tour in a disastrous manner after getting all out on 36 in the first innings of the first Test in Adelaide to suffer a huge defeat. A series defeat looked inevitable after Kohli decided to return home following the first Test for the birth of his child. Rahane took over in his absence.
What followed was a display of remarkable resilience from India over the next three Test matches as they ended up winning the four-match series 2-1 to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Rahane joined Kohli in becoming only the second Indian captain to win a Test series in Australia.
While he impressed with composed leadership, Rahane led from the front with the bat. However, soon after the memorable triumph, Rahane found himself falling in the pecking order as he battled to save his spot in the Test team. He eventually played his last game for India against West Indies at the Port of Spain in July 2023.