Veteran Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane has officially retired from all formats of the game, ending his vintage appearance.
Spearheading the team with diligence and resilience for so many years, the 38-year-old delivered an emotional message on Instagram on Thursday, 30 July, announcing his retirement from the sport.
Rahane had written this line in his last post, “Cap No. 278, this is where it ends. Thank you all for the love and support over the years. I will be forever grateful.
Rahane’s retirement is also the end of his Indian Premier League career as he had served as the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the last IPL season.
One of India’s most consistent hitters, Rahane made 85 Tests, 90 ODI and 20 T20I matches for the country, hitting 8,414 runs to an average of 35.95, with 15 centuries, 51 half-centuries in international cricket across all formats.
He has also been a successful player of IPL, playing 212 matches for teams such as KKR, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant, including two centuries and 35 fifties he has register in the tournament.
Rahane’s best performance was at the Australia tour of India in 2020-21. He took over after Virat Kohli left for England and guided a troubled Indian side to a memorable series win (2-1) in Test cricket, and the historic win at The Gabba is one of the iconic moments in Indian cricket history.