Ajinkya Rahane officially announced his retirement from all cricket-related activities on July 30, 2026. The Indian hitter finished a 13-year international career that began in 2013 and saw him represent his country in all three formats.
Rahane played in 85 Tests, 90 ODIs, and 20 T20Is for India. He scored 5,077 runs, including 12 hundreds, in 85 Test matches. He played his last Test match for his nation in the 2023 away series against the West Indies. He made the decision to resign after carefully considering his career and personal goals. “At first, it was extremely overwhelming,” he said. Rahane posted on his YouTube channel, “The realisation hasn’t fully sunk in yet.”
Rahane’s remarks about his retirement decision
Rahane admitted that his decision to resign took him over a month. However, he is happy that he took the call because he always gave it his all both on and off the pitch during his playing career.
“I am really pleased with the choice I made because I considered it for twenty to twenty-five days, or about a month, before making it. Ultimately, tho, I came to the realisation that there are no regrets, which is why I made this choice. The former captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders remarked, “I think I gave even more than my best, whatever I wanted to try, whatever I wanted to achieve, or however much I had to give my best.”
Highlights of his record as captain and career
One of the most significant moments in Rahane’s career occurred when he led India to an amazing comeback series triumph against Australia in the 2020–21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He succeeded Virat Kohli as captain in 2021 and guided the team to a historic 2-1 series victory in Australia, including a famous Gabba victory. That triumph proved his leadership skills and ability to perform well under pressure on a worldwide basis.
Rahane’s expertise in cricket has long been recognised. He has been analysing game scenarios and dabbling in commentary on his YouTube channel.
