Ajinkya Rahane’s retirement from international cricket has sparked an outpouring of heartfelt tributes from teammates and fans, with some of Indian cricket’s biggest names celebrating his remarkable journey and contribution to the game.
Ajinkya Rahane was part of one of India’s most successful Test cricket eras, playing a vital role alongside stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Ashwin. His retirement marks another chapter closing for that celebrated generation. While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired from Tests and T20 Internationals, both continue to represent India in One-Day Internationals.
The 38-year-old announced his retirement in an emotional video, breaking down in tears as he said it was the right time to move on from international cricket. Since then, messages of appreciation have continued to pour in.
Rohit Sharma praised Ajinkya Rahane’s dedication and professionalism, saying they had shared the dressing room for many years and that Rahane’s hard work, commitment and achievements made him stand out. He congratulated the veteran batter on a wonderful career and wished him success in the future.
Here is Rohit Sharma’s tweet:
https://x.com/ImRo45/status/2082910677891703044
Earlier, Virat Kohli also paid tribute, calling Ajinkya Rahane his favourite batting partner in Test cricket. Kohli praised his immense contribution to Indian cricket, described him as one of the safest fielders in the slip cordon and said Rahane should be proud of everything he achieved during his career. He also wished him the very best for the future.
Ajinkya Rahane represented India in 85 Test matches, 90 One-Day Internationals and 20 T20 Internationals between 2011 and 2023. During his international career, he scored 8,414 runs, including 15 centuries and 51 half-centuries.
He also captained India in six Test matches, leading the team to four victories while drawing the remaining two.
One of the defining moments of Ajinkya Rahane’s career came during India’s 2020-21 tour of Australia. After taking charge of a depleted Indian side, he led the team to a historic 2-1 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series victory, a triumph that remains one of the greatest achievements of his career and one of the most memorable overseas successes of Indian cricket.
Congratulations to Ajinkya Rahane on such a fantastic career!
