Ajinkya Rahane retires: The quiet leader who rebuilt a broken India side

Rahane's numbers tell only part of his story; his enduring legacy lies in overseas resilience, quiet leadership and the belief he restored after the Adelaide collapse

Ajinkya Rahane has retired from international cricket and all forms of the game, bringing the curtain down on a career defined less by spectacle than by resilience, adaptability and quiet authority.

 

Rahane may not be remembered alongside India’s most prolific run-scorers. His 8,414 international runs, including 5,077 in Tests, tell only part of his story. His finest performances often came overseas, in difficult batting conditions and at moments when India needed stability rather than flamboyance.

 

An 85-Test veteran and Virat Kohli’s long-time deputy, Rahane made his greatest contribution as a leader during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. After India were dismissed for 36 in Adelaide and Kohli returned home on paternity leave, Rahane inherited a depleted team that few expected to recover.

 

 

His response captured the qualities that defined his career. He remained composed, trusted inexperienced players and led from the front with 112 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. India won the Test by eight wickets, drew in Sydney and completed a remarkable 2-1 series triumph at the Gabba.

 

Rishabh Pant supplied the unforgettable finish in Brisbane, but the recovery had begun much earlier. Rahane was the stabiliser, strategist and emotional anchor who restored belief after one of the lowest moments in Indian Test history.

 

“From those early days, travelling from Dombivli as a young boy, just to practise, 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,” Rahane said in his farewell message.

 

How did Rahane help India recover from Adelaide?

 

India’s 36 all out in Adelaide was not an ordinary defeat. The team had competed strongly for much of the Test before losing all 10 second-innings wickets for its lowest total in the format.

 

Such a collapse could have triggered technical panic, conservative selection and mistrust within the group. Rahane instead treated it as an isolated failure rather than evidence that India could not compete in Australia.

 

The team did not retreat into defensive cricket at Melbourne. Shubman Gill was handed a debut at the top of the order, Mohammed Siraj entered the attack, Rishabh Pant returned as wicketkeeper and Ravindra Jadeja strengthened the balance of the side.

 

The message was clear: India would not spend the second Test merely trying to avoid another humiliation.

 

Rahane was equally proactive on the field. He introduced Ravichandran Ashwin early on the opening morning, and the spinner dismissed Matthew Wade and Steve Smith as Australia were bowled out for 195.

 

India’s response was therefore not built on reassurance alone. Rahane combined emotional composure with decisive selection, tactical flexibility and an insistence that the team continue playing positively. 

Ajinkya Rahane

 

How calmness became Rahane’s leadership method

 

Rahane’s understated manner was sometimes mistaken for a lack of aggression because it contrasted sharply with Kohli’s visible intensity. In Australia, however, calmness became a competitive asset.

 

India were repeatedly forced to adjust as injuries accumulated and inexperienced players entered high-pressure matches. The composition of the team changed almost every week. An emotional captain might have amplified that instability; Rahane instead appeared to separate the seriousness of the situation from the mood around it.

 

His leadership was also collaborative. Rahane consulted senior players such as Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ashwin rather than attempting to dominate every decision.

 

That approach distributed responsibility and allowed the team to function even as its personnel changed. By Brisbane, the replacements no longer behaved like replacements.

 

Rahane’s captaincy was quiet, but not indecisive. His field placements, bowling changes and willingness to trust newcomers suggested a captain comfortable making decisions without publicly performing authority.

 

The MCG century that changed the series

 

Rahane’s 112 at Melbourne was more than a technically accomplished innings. It was the emotional centre of India’s recovery.

 

Another batting collapse would have reinforced Australia’s control of the series. Instead, Rahane negotiated an attack featuring Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, helping India reach 326 and establish a 131-run first-innings lead.

 

The innings carried additional weight because it came from the stand-in captain. Rahane was asking his players to move past the 36 all out while confronting the same attack responsible for it.

 

His century converted reassurance into evidence. Until then, India could talk about resilience. After Melbourne, they had demonstrated it.

 

The eight-wicket victory levelled the series and fundamentally altered the psychological balance of the contest.

 

Why Rahane’s support for Siraj mattered in Sydney

 

Rahane’s response to the crowd incident involving Siraj during the Sydney Test revealed another dimension of his leadership.

 

When the fast bowler reported abuse from spectators, Rahane did not dismiss the complaint or ask him to ignore it. India informed the officials, play was stopped and spectators were removed after security personnel intervened.

 

Cricket Australia subsequently confirmed that racial abuse had occurred during the Test, although its investigation cleared the group removed from the ground of that specific allegation.

 

Rahane later recalled that India had been offered the option of leaving the field. His position was that the team had come to play and that those responsible for the abuse should be removed instead.

 

The distinction was significant. Leaving the field might have transferred the sporting cost of the incident to those subjected to the abuse. Rahane’s approach allowed Siraj to feel protected without requiring India to abandon the match.

 

It was leadership based on solidarity rather than symbolism. 

Ajinkya Rahane and Mohammed Siraj with umpire during Border Gavaskar Trophy

 

Why the Australia series was also Rahane’s triumph

 

Pant deserves his permanent place in the history of the 2020-21 series. His 97 gave India a chance of an improbable victory in Sydney before Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari secured the draw. His unbeaten 89 then completed the record chase in Brisbane.

 

But Pant’s heroics should not reduce the series to one final-day innings.

 

The Gabba victory was the final act of a recovery constructed across three Tests. Rahane gave India their first point of belief with his Melbourne century. His side then batted for 131 overs in the fourth innings at Sydney to preserve parity before travelling to Brisbane with the series still alive.

 

By the final Test, India’s newcomers and reserves were operating with the confidence of established players. Siraj led the pace attack, Gill scored 91 in the chase, and Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur made crucial contributions.

 

That collective confidence was not created on the fifth afternoon at the Gabba. It had developed under Rahane from the moment India began rebuilding after Adelaide.

 

Pant was the spectacular match-winner. Rahane was the captain who placed the team in a position to attempt the impossible.

 

The series should therefore be remembered not only for the shot Pant struck through mid-off to complete the chase, but also for the leader who quietly rebuilt a broken team.

 

Rahane in international cricket

 

Rahane’s international career spanned 12 years, from 2011 to 2023. He scored 5,077 Test runs at an average of 38.46, including 12 centuries, along with 2,962 ODI runs and 375 T20I runs.

 

He captained India in six Tests and remained unbeaten, recording four victories and two draws.

 

Ajinkya Rahane’s international record
Format	Span	Matches	Runs	Average	Highest	100s	50s	Strike rate
Tests	2013-2023	85	5077	38.46	188	12	26	49.5
ODIs	2011-2018	90	2962	35.26	111	3	24	78.63
T20Is	2011-2016	20	375	20.83	61	0	1	113.29
Total	2011-2023	195	8414	—	—	15	51	—

 

Tests: Where Rahane found his identity

 

Rahane’s Test debut offered little indication of the career that would follow. He scored seven and one against Australia in Delhi in March 2013, having waited nearly two years after his first international appearance to receive his Test cap.

 

His reputation was built almost immediately afterwards, largely away from home.

 

In South Africa later that year, Rahane made 47 and 15 in Johannesburg before scoring 51 not out and 96 in Durban. In 2014, he struck 118 in Wellington, 103 at Lord’s and 147 at Melbourne — centuries in three countries against high-quality attacks.

 

His 103 at Lord’s was particularly significant. India had slipped to 145 for seven on a green surface before Rahane’s innings lifted the team to a competitive total and laid the foundation for a famous victory.

 

His ability to play the ball late, leave accurately and counterattack without losing his shape made him valuable in conditions where India’s more celebrated batters sometimes struggled.

 

Eight of Rahane’s 12 Test centuries came away from home. He scored hundreds in New Zealand, England, Australia, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. That distribution explains why his career cannot be assessed solely through an overall average of 38.46. His best innings frequently arrived when batting was most difficult. 

Ajinkya Rahane

 

Rahane also produced significant performances in India. He became the first batter to score centuries in both innings of a Test at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, making 127 and an unbeaten 100 against South Africa in 2015.

 

His career-best 188 against New Zealand at Indore in 2016 came during a 365-run partnership with Kohli.

 

Yet his position was rarely entirely secure. His returns fluctuated sharply after 2017, and prolonged periods of poor form repeatedly placed his selection under scrutiny.

 

How many Tests did Rahane miss?

 

India played 99 Tests between Rahane’s debut in March 2013 and his final appearance in July 2023. Rahane featured in 85 and missed 14.

 

The figure provides useful context to a career often associated with uncertainty. Despite the scrutiny surrounding his performances during its latter stages, he played more than 85 per cent of India’s Tests during his active span.

 

For much of that decade, Rahane was not merely an overseas specialist or occasional replacement. He was a regular member of India’s middle order. 

Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli during a Test match. File photo

 

Why Rahane was the ideal deputy to Kohli

 

Rahane’s suitability as Kohli’s stand-in captain came from contrast rather than imitation.

 

Kohli led through visible intensity. His energy was confrontational, emotional and constantly communicated. Rahane rarely displayed frustration publicly and appeared to lower the temperature around the team.

 

That understated manner should not be confused with tactical passivity. Rahane captained India in six Tests and remained unbeaten.

 

Ajinkya Rahane’s record as India’s Test captain
Test	Opposition and venue	Result
Dharamsala, 2017	Australia	India won
Bengaluru, 2018	Afghanistan	India won
Melbourne, 2020	Australia	India won
Sydney, 2021	Australia	Draw
Brisbane, 2021	Australia	India won
Kanpur, 2021	New Zealand	Draw

 

ODIs: A substantial career without a permanent role

 

Rahane’s ODI career began before his Test career but ended five years earlier. He played 90 matches between 2011 and 2018, scoring 2,962 runs at an average of 35.26.

 

All three of his ODI centuries came as an opener: 106 against England at Birmingham, 111 against Sri Lanka at Cuttack and 103 against the West Indies in Port of Spain.

 

Those innings reflected the central problem of his ODI career. Rahane was most comfortable at the top, where he could use conventional strokes during the fielding restrictions and build an innings.

 

India’s preferred opening combination, however, became Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. That left Rahane competing for an uncertain middle-order position.

 

His career strike rate of 78.63 was acceptable for an anchor but became increasingly difficult to accommodate as ODI batting accelerated. India wanted middle-order players capable of rotating the strike immediately, attacking spin and providing greater boundary-hitting power during the final 20 overs.

 

Rahane could offer control, technique and stability. What he could not establish was a role that remained indispensable regardless of where he batted. 

Ajinkya Rahane

 

How did Rahane perform at the 2015 ODI World Cup?

 

Rahane appeared in only one ODI World Cup — the 2015 tournament in Australia and New Zealand. He played all eight of India’s matches and scored 208 runs in seven innings at an average of 34.66.

 

Opposition	Score
Pakistan	0
South Africa	79
United Arab Emirates	Did not bat
West Indies	14
Ireland	33 not out
Zimbabwe	19
Bangladesh, quarterfinal	19
Australia, semifinal	44
Total	208 runs

 

His 79 against South Africa at Melbourne was his defining World Cup innings. Promoted to a position that allowed him to attack, Rahane helped India post a commanding total against one of the tournament’s strongest teams.

 

He also made 44 in the semifinal against Australia, but India’s chase of 329 never developed sufficient momentum. His tournament was respectable rather than outstanding: Rahane contributed to India’s run to the semifinals but did not produce the sustained scoring needed to make his position unquestionable.

 

His omission from the 2019 World Cup squad was nevertheless notable because his ODI career had not ended with a prolonged collapse.

 

During the 2017 series in the West Indies, Rahane scored 336 runs through innings of 62, 103, 72, 60 and 39. Later that year, he made four consecutive half-centuries against Australia.

 

He began the 2018 South Africa series with 79 and finished it with an unbeaten 34, but that became his final ODI.

 

Rahane remained a regular in the Test side after February 2018 but disappeared from India’s ODI plans. 

 

T20Is: A career that peaked on debut

 

Rahane’s first international appearance came in a T20I against England at Manchester in August 2011. He scored 61 from 39 balls, an innings that remained both his highest T20I score and his only half-century in the format.

 

He finished with 375 runs from 20 matches at an average of 20.83 and a strike rate of 113.29. Unlike in Test cricket, Rahane never received a long, uninterrupted run in the T20I side.

 

His batting was built around timing, placement and conventional strokeplay. Those qualities could be effective in the powerplay, but his scoring rate was modest for an international opener as T20 batting evolved.

 

Rohit and Dhawan were competing for the opening positions, with Kohli established at No. 3. Rahane did not possess the finishing game required to move naturally into the lower middle order, leaving him without an obvious alternative role.

 

What was Rahane’s T20 World Cup record?

 

Rahane was part of India’s squads for the 2014 and 2016 T20 World Cups.

 

At the 2014 tournament, he entered the side during the latter stages and scored 19 against Australia, 32 in the semifinal against South Africa and three in the final against Sri Lanka.

 

Two years later, he made his only appearance of the 2016 tournament in the semifinal against the West Indies. His 40 helped India reach 192 for two but took 35 deliveries.

 

His final T20I appearances came against the West Indies in Florida in August 2016, when he scored seven and four not out. MS Dhoni was still India’s limited-overs captain.

 

By the time Kohli assumed the full-time white-ball captaincy in early 2017, Rahane had already fallen out of T20I contention. His exclusion came during the closing months of Dhoni’s tenure as India began prioritising openers with higher scoring rates and greater six-hitting ability.

 

Domestic cricket: Mumbai leadership and Ranji Trophy excellence

 

Even after falling out of the national selectors’ plans, Rahane remained committed to domestic cricket. He continued to represent Mumbai and led the side until the 2024-25 season, using his experience to guide a new generation of players.

 

The defining achievement of his domestic captaincy came in 2023-24, when Mumbai defeated Vidarbha in the final to win a record-extending 42nd Ranji Trophy title.

 

Rahane did not have his most productive season with the bat, but his leadership, tactical awareness and ability to manage pressure helped Mumbai reclaim the trophy.

 

His broader first-class record reflects the consistency that underpinned his international career. Across 205 matches, Rahane scored 14,209 runs at an average of 44.96, including 42 centuries and 59 half-centuries. His unbeaten 265 remained his highest score.

 

Ajinkya Rahane’s first-class record
Matches	Innings	Runs	Highest score	Average	100s	50s	Catches
205	346	14209	265*	44.96	42	59	228

Ajinkya Rahane while representing Mumbai in First-Class cricket. Photo: PTI

 

IPL career: Six franchises and a late reinvention

 

Rahane’s IPL career was marked by longevity, movement across franchises and repeated reinvention. He represented Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Rising Pune Supergiant, Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.

 

His most settled and productive early phase came with Rajasthan, where he developed into a reliable opener and assumed leadership responsibilities.

 

His ability to bat through an innings made him valuable, but his measured scoring rate increasingly counted against him as T20 batting became more aggressive.

 

Rahane later struggled for regular opportunities with Delhi Capitals and Kolkata. Between 2020 and 2022, he scored 254 runs in 18 matches, with his strike rate remaining close to 100. At that stage, his relevance as a T20 batter appeared to be fading.

 

That changed dramatically after he joined Chennai in 2023. Rahane abandoned the conservative tempo associated with the earlier part of his career, scoring 326 runs at a strike rate of 172.49.

 

His clean hitting against pace and willingness to attack from the outset made his transformation one of the season’s most striking comeback stories.

 

The revival demonstrated that Rahane could alter his game even in the latter stages of his career. His role at Chennai differed from the one he had performed at Rajasthan. Instead of anchoring the innings, he was encouraged to play freely and exploit favourable match-ups.

 

Rahane subsequently returned to Kolkata, scoring 390 runs at a strike rate of 147.73 in 2025 and 335 runs at 135.08 in 2026. His later years extended his career beyond his final international appearance and reinforced his ability to adapt.

 

Ajinkya Rahane’s IPL record
Matches	Runs	Highest score	Average	Strike rate	100s	50s	Catches
212	5367	105*	30.15	125.6	2	35	84

 

How Rahane reinvented his IPL batting
Phase	Role and approach	Key numbers
Rajasthan Royals years	Primarily an opener and innings-builder	More than 450 runs in each season from 2012 to 2016, except 2014
Difficult phase, 2020-22	Limited opportunities and a declining scoring rate	254 runs in 18 matches across three seasons
CSK revival, 2023	Attacking middle-order batter given freedom from the outset	326 runs at a strike rate of 172.49
KKR phase, 2025-26	Senior batter and leadership figure	725 runs across two seasons

 

Rahane’s overall IPL numbers — 5,367 runs, two centuries and 35 half-centuries — placed him among the competition’s most experienced batters.

 

More importantly, the contrast between his early anchoring role and aggressive later phase illustrated a willingness to adapt rather than remain confined by reputation.

 

Rahane’s farewell message: Defeat, affection and perspective

 

Rahane used his retirement announcement to reflect on the contradiction between the meaning of his name and the realities of professional sport.

 

“Ajinkya means unbeatable. But cricket has shown me defeat many times. As cricketers, we fail more often than we succeed,” he said.

 

The observation captured a career in which progress was rarely straightforward. Rahane waited nearly two years for his Test debut, repeatedly had to defend his position and later earned an unexpected international recall after being dropped.

 

“There have been many wins and losses along the way, but the sheer joy of playing cricket, being part of different teams and creating lifelong memories — that has been the greatest satisfaction of my career,” he said.

 

Rahane added that while he had lost matches and made mistakes, he never felt defeated in the affection of supporters.

 

“My team has lost matches. I have made mistakes. But there is one place where I was never defeated, and that was in your heart. You always treated me like your own. Thank you for your love, your faith and your support. Cap number 278, signing off,” he said.

 

What next for Ajinkya Rahane?

 

Retirement from competitive cricket is unlikely to end Rahane’s association with the sport. Having already undertaken commentary assignments, he could remain visible as a broadcaster, mentor or coach.

 

His farewell remarks also pointed to an interest in helping younger players and passing on the values that shaped his career.

 

“I lived by one single rule: always put my country and my team ahead of myself. I played this game with complete honesty, and I have always believed that if your intent is right, the game will take care of you,” Rahane said.

 

He also reflected on the transformation of Indian cricket since his first-class debut and expressed pride at having been part of that period.

 

“While my chapter as an Indian cricketer comes to an end, my journey with the game does not. I look forward to helping the next generation, sharing the values the sport has taught me and giving back to the game that has given me everything,” he said.

 

Rahane’s career contained greater statistical peaks than its final averages suggest, but numbers alone cannot adequately explain his place in Indian cricket.

 

His legacy rests in the difficult runs scored abroad, the adaptability that extended his career and, above all, the series in which he inherited a wounded team and returned home from Australia unbeaten.