{"id":199430,"date":"2026-08-05T10:30:50","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T16:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=199430"},"modified":"2026-08-05T10:30:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T16:00:50","slug":"from-partnerships-with-kohli-to-indias-recent-home-troubles-rahane-opens-up-in-first-interview-after-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=199430","title":{"rendered":"From partnerships with Kohli to India\u2019s recent home troubles \u2014 Rahane opens up in first interview after retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

Ajinkya Rahane said that the \u201cpositive and frank conversations\u201d between him and Virat Kohli helped the two forge crucial partnerships for India in Test cricket.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the Stick to Cricket<\/i> podcast, Rahane, who recently announced his retirement, said that batting with the former India captain brought out the best in him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really enjoyed batting with him (Kohli). We complemented each other really well. The aggressive nature of Virat and my calm nature really helped us a lot. I feel the reason for this partnership is always the positive and frank communication we had, what we used to feel when we used to bat together,\u201d Rahane said.<\/p>\n

Rahane, who scored 12 centuries and amassed 5,077 runs in Test cricket, added that Kohli always backed him to trust his instinct.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was always positive. He said, \u2018Just play your game\u2019. For me, naturally I was, I\u2019m an attacking cricketer. So he said, \u2018If you feel like going after a particular bowler, don\u2019t hesitate at all\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason for this partnership, for this run is all about the camaraderie. We used to spend a lot of time together, even off the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 38-year-old credited Kohli\u2019s tenure as captain, with Ravi Shastri in-charge of the helm, for India\u2019s dominance in the longest format, where the team secured back-to-back series wins in Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started playing in our era… I felt Virat (Kohli) and Ravi (Shastri) were the guys who toughened up Indian cricket, especially playing overseas, going aggressive, going bold, rather than being defensive and slightly reactive. I think we were always proactive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

No seniors left<\/h4>\n

Rahane lamented India\u2019s woeful form in Tests at home, which has seen the side slump to series losses at the hands of New Zealand and South Africa.<\/p>\n

The 85-Test veteran said that the format needs at least seven senior players in the playing eleven. He felt this Indian side had transitioned too fast after Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and R. Ashwin called time on their careers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still feel Test cricket needs seven-eight senior players and two-three younger players. What we are seeing now is that all the players are actually new. There\u2019s hardly any senior cricketer left. So, Test cricket needs that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been sitting at home, watching the Indian team lose matches even in India as well. I think Test cricket needs character. You need to build such characters and play competitive cricket. That\u2019s what\u2019s important. Playing session out. You don\u2019t see many teams do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Published on Aug 05, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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

Ajinkya Rahane said that the \u201cpositive and frank conversations\u201d between him and Virat Kohli helped the two forge crucial partnerships for India in Test cricket. Speaking on the Stick to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":199431,"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-199430","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\/08\/Britain_Cricket_England_India_48875.jpg-687b7.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":198617,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=198617","url_meta":{"origin":199430,"position":0},"title":"Ajinkya Rahane retires from international cricket","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Ajinkya Rahane has not turned up for India since the 2023 away Test series against the West Indies. 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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. 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