Ajinkya Rahane, the former mainstay of the Indian Test batting order, has announced his retirement from all formats of cricket. Rahane, 38, last played competitive cricket during the 2026 Indian Premier League, where he scored 335 runs from 14 matches, leading the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Even though the veteran batter recently expressed his desire to return to the Indian team, he eventually pulled the plug on a decorated career spanning 17 years (including the IPL).
Rahane made his international debut for India during a T20I against England, scoring an impressive 69 off 31 balls while opening the innings. His ODI debut followed a few days later – Rahul Dravid’s white-ball farewell – in Durham, where Rahane again played a solid knock of 40 off 44 balls. However, he would have to wait for two more years before breaking into the Test team. During the 2013 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rahane received his Test cap for the 4th Test in Delhi, where he flopped with scores of 1 and 7.
That, as it turns out, was the calm before the storm as Rahane, over the next decade, went on to become the backbone of the Indian Test team, scoring 5077 runs from 85 Tests. Rahane enjoyed decent success in ODIs too, tallying 2962 runs from 90 matches, and although his average of 35.26 wasn’t the greatest, Rahane had his moments. Rahane also played 20 T20Is but scored just 375 runs. Test cricket is where he found his true calling.
Rahane became the backbone of India’s Test batting order
Once the Fab 4 of Indian cricket was done, following Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement in November 2023, India’s middle order wore a new look with Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Rahane being the designated No. 3, 4 and 5 batters. Rahane enjoyed his first big series in South Africa, scoring an unbeaten 51 and 96 in Durban. Rahane’s career simply rocketed from there. Test Centuries in New Zealand, England (Lord’s) and Melbourne, all in the same year, made him a force to reckon with in SENA Nations and cemented his place in the Test team. His century at Lord’s in 2014 was pivotal in India winning their first-ever Test at the venue after 28 years.
Rahane stepped in as captain whenever Kohli was unavailable, with the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy standing out as his finest stint. After Kohli returned home following the first Test in Adelaide, where India were bowled out for 36, Rahane led the side to a famous victory in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. Despite a severely depleted squad and a mounting injury crisis, he guided India to a second consecutive Test series triumph in Australia, capping the tour with the historic Gabba win that ended Australia’s 32-year unbeaten run at the venue.
After a nine-year run, Rahane was first dropped from the Indian Test set-up after a poor series in South Africa. At the 2023 World Test Championship final, Rahane made a comeback into the team and showed his improvement with scores of 89 and 46, but his return lasted just three matches. His last game for India was a Test match against the West Indies at Port of Spain in July 2023.
