Ajinkya Rahane ended his 15-year-long international career last week and announced his retirement from Indian cricket on July 30th. The former India vice-captain last represented the country in 2023. Three years after playing his last game, Rahane announced his retirement. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rahane revealed that he was thinking about retirement for a month. The former India white-ball opener doesn’t have any regrets and he opined that he gave his best for the country. “At first, it was extremely overwhelming. The realisation hasn’t completely sunk in yet,” Rahane said.

“I am very happy with the decision I have taken, because before making it, I was thinking about it for 20 to 25 days – almost a month. But in the end, the one thing I realised—and the reason I took this decision—is that there are no regrets. Whatever I wanted to try, whatever I wanted to achieve, or however much I had to give my best, I think I gave even more than my best,” he added.

Rahane made his India debut in a T20I against England in 2011. He made his ODI debut in the same series. After being on the bench for more than 10 matches, Rahane finally made his Test debut against Australia in 2013.

Rahane was appointed the Indian Test team’s vice-captain in 2017. He captained a second-string Indian team to a series win in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Virat Kohli returned home from Australia after leading India in the first Test.

Rahane captained India to 4 wins in six Tests. India didn’t lose a Test under him, as the other two games ended in a draw. India won all three ODIs under his captaincy. India won one out of two T20Is under him.

Four years after losing his place in the ODI team, Rahane was dropped from the Test squad in 2022. He made his return for the 2023 World Test Championship final and also travelled to West Indies.

The right-handed batter was dropped after the WI series. He continued to play domestic cricket and IPL till 2026 but failed to make a return.

Disclaimer: This article summarizes a report by Ajinkya Rahane. While Times Now has verified the public data presented, the interpretations of ‘intent’ remain those of the creator.