{"id":198690,"date":"2026-07-30T04:26:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T09:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=198690"},"modified":"2026-07-30T04:26:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T09:56:15","slug":"ajinkya-rahane-retires-an-understated-giant-exits-leaving-indian-test-cricket-immeasurably-richer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=198690","title":{"rendered":"Ajinkya Rahane retires \u2014 An understated giant exits, leaving Indian Test cricket immeasurably richer"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

The last cog in an erstwhile Indian Test batting juggernaut has bid farewell. Ajinkya Rahane\u2019s retirement, along with the earlier departures of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, besides Murali Vijay\u2019s slow fadeout, marks the passing of a collective baton.<\/p>\n

The Mumbaikar, now charting a fresh path as a commentator, belonged to a school of batsmanship lit up by Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Rohit. Equally, it was an alumni that featured the gifted Vinod Kambli and technically compact Sanjay Manjrekar, though the two could not fulfil their immense potential after promising much. There was also the doughty Ravi Shastri, who maximised his skill sets.<\/p>\n

Among these varied paths of his fellow city-dwellers, Rahane\u2019s progress remained distinct. There was an ease to his shots, a solidity to his tenure at the crease, and yet 5077 runs from 85 Tests, averaging 38.46, while highlighting longevity, also points to a talent that never reached its zenith. Among his 12 Test tons, eight were etched overseas, revealing a batter at ease in alien conditions.<\/p>\n

Soft-spoken and with a quiet demeanour, much like Pujara, Rahane seemed a throwback to a gentler past. But throw him into a fiery battle, and he would reveal his mettle. The eyes would narrow, the half smile would vanish, and then he quelled the red cherry hurled at him. In that zen moment, he extended the Bombay legacy of fortress-like batsmanship.<\/p>\n

He did have the shots, and his resurgence in the Indian Premier League is a pointer to his versatility. But it was in Test whites that Rahane left a deeper imprint. The triumph in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series in Australia in 2020-21, with Rahane the skipper adroitly marshalling his meagre resources after many key players left due to injury or personal reasons, would remain the biggest talking point in his career.<\/p>\n

Turning around a team that was shot out for 36 in Adelaide, Rahane led from the front. His 112 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground marked a revival; it was a rejuvenation that had its crowning glory at the Gabba with Rishabh Pant ushering a miracle.<\/p>\n

The perfect ending, like Stuart Broad\u2019s six and a wicket as his last endeavours with the bat and ball, is a rare spectacle in cricket. Rahane, true to his manner, has left in his inimitable quiet way, with grace intact, and memories galore.<\/p>\n

Published on Jul 30, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The last cog in an erstwhile Indian Test batting juggernaut has bid farewell. Ajinkya Rahane\u2019s retirement, along with the earlier departures of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, besides Murali Vijay\u2019s slow fadeout, marks the passing of a collective baton. The Mumbaikar, now charting a fresh path as a commentator, belonged to a school…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":198691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-198690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_TH17RAHANE_2_1_3496AH0V.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":198665,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=198665","url_meta":{"origin":198690,"position":0},"title":"Ajinkya Rahane’s greatest Test innings ranked: Lord’s, Melbourne and more","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Former India captain Ajinkya Rahane has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing the curtain down on an accomplished India career.Here are Ajinkya Rahane\u2019s five best Test innings: 5. 96 vs South Africa, Durban (2013) Rahane announced himself as a genuine overseas Test batter in just his second Test. 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