The Ajinkya Rahane You Must Know

'While his cricketing achievements are obvious, people should remember Ajinkya Rahane, the person. Because he has inspired youngsters in the dressing room by his powerful humane gestures.'

Since announcing his retirement from international cricket on Thursday, July 30, 2026, Ajinkya Rahane has been epitomised by a collection of superlatives -- highly dependable, fighter, immensely talented, to mention a few.

The paeans written for Rahane are by team-mates past and present and others from the cricket fraternity, the people who have known the 38 year old from his time in international cricket.

For friends from his teenage years, Rahane is the same, simple boy they got acquainted with more than two decades ago.

"He is still the same soft-spoken, simple boy and he is the true embodiment of his name -- Ajinkya (unbeatable)," says Jayesh Kulkarni, assistant coach at 1 Aim Academy and Rahane's oldest friend and team-mate at the Indian Oil cricket team.

"We first met in 2002 at Mulund Gymkhana where we used to practice during age-group cricket. Ajinkya used to stay in Mulund at that time. From there onwards, we both trained under (coach) Vidya Paradkar sir. That is how we got acquainted and continue to stay friends to this day."

'Rahane has always been a thorough gentleman'

"Our friendship boils down to mutual respect and for that I credit our families. I was always treated as a family member by Ajinkya's parents and vice-versa. We also had a common group of friends from Ajinkya's residence," Kulkarni adds.

"Rahane has always been a thorough gentleman and a simple personality in the dressing room. Always the nice guy and highly respected for the way he carries himself," says Amit Dani, a former Mumbai and Goa Ranji cricketer, who has shared the dressing room with Rahane while he served as Mumbai's fielding coach in 2018.

Dani's introduction to Rahane happened a decade earlier.

"The first time I met Rahane was when he was selected for our Indian Oil scholarship scheme and he was brought to Indian Oil's corporate team by his coach Sulakshan Kulkarni, who was also Indian Oil's cricket team's coach then," Dani said.

"At that time, we had heard that of a guy called Ajinkya Rahane who plays reasonably well at club level. And what we saw was a decent club cricketer, with decent technique. He was not as consistent earlier, but got better a couple of years down the line," Dani added.

'There could be a leopard roaming the street, but Ajinkya was never scared'

Nothing came easy to Rahane, for whom there were no shortcuts to success. Hard work was the only way up, a trait that held him in good stead at the highest level.

"When Ajinkya used to live in Mulund, his residence was near Yogi Hills. Back in 2002, there were regular sightings of leopards and other wild animals in the area. There was always a thought at the back of the mind that there could be a leopard roaming the street, but Ajinkya was undeterred and never scared."

"He would wake up at 4 am, gather his kit and walk alone to a bus stop or a rickshaw stand, which was roughly one kilometre away from his residence.

"He used to take either take a bus or an auto to get to the station to catch a 5.50 am train from Mulund to Dadar. He used to go to Paradkar sir's coaching just for batting drills and after that session, he would go straight to the Wankhede stadium, because at that time, age-group cricket practice sessions were held at the stadium," Kulkarni recalls.

"When he got older and joined Indian Oil, the routine continued, only this time after finishing that practice at Wankhede, he used to go to Bandra to practice with his team-mates at Indian Oil. And from there he would go to Mulund Gymkhana.

"I used to give him throw downs or sometimes we would do fielding drills there. And what separated him from the others is, he would never get tired of practice. He used to be out from 4 am and return home only at 7.30 pm, 8 pm. That was the passion he had for the game," Kulkarni adds.

'We realised Ajinkya has a very big appetite for batting'

Kulkarni remembers that Rahane would carry a tiffin box from home, which was his only meal of the day, and one vada pav to snack in between.

"If you ask Ajinkya the thing he enjoyed most on the train rides were the naps. Those power naps were energy boosters and kept us fresh for the sessions," Kulkarni remembers with fondness.

Recollecting Rahane's hunger for big runs, Dani shares a story from his club cricket days.

"We were playing against Air India at the Mumbai Cricket Association ground. It was probably Ajinkya's second year with Indian Oil. He scored 273 and went on to score 700-plus runs in the (Times Shield) tournament. Ajinkya, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma were all in that squad.

"We teased them over who among Pujara or Rahane would score the most runs and take home the Times Shield batting prize. Ajinkya scored 273 and Pujara made 236. That's when we realised that Ajinkya has a very big appetite for batting and that he is going to be a very good player in future," says Dani.

"22, 23 years ago, there was no video analysis or sports psychologist or mentor at the domestic level, so Ajinkya would take time to assess his game and learn," says Kulkarni.

"He was focused on working on the minor aspects of his game. He was not just focussed on hard work, but he knew what exactly one needed to do to get ahead, traits that made him special," adds Kulkarni.

"When Ajinkya received his India call-up for the tour of England in 2013, Vishu Bondre, the former Mumbai all-rounder and a coach at Mulund Gymkhana, suggested he prepare for the tour by practicing on a cement wicket with a tennis ball or plastic balls or heavy balls to help counter the swinging conditions. He also emphasised leaving the ball and playing back foot cover drives on those English wickets.

"Ajinkya scored his first boundary off an amazing back foot cover drive. He was always serious about practice and carrying those lessons into the match."

"When we were growing up, there were examples of Mr Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar of how one has to carry oneself. How to control your emotions. How to respect the game. How to respect opponents. With that came the values his family has taught him," says Kulkarni.

"Right from the very beginning Ajinkya was never carried away by emotions. Even if he was wrongly adjudged out, he never reacted or used bad language. He used that as motivation and charge himself up to do better the next time," Kulkarni adds.

When Rahane settled his ailing coach's hospital bills

"From my experience of being a Mumbai player and a coach, I have seen so many Indian stars in the dressing room. And there are many who are very simple. Mumbai guys, they are always simple. Ajinkya must have learned that from Sachin Tendulkar, I believe," says Dani.

"When Sachin is in the dressing room, everyone is very comfortable despite the aura he carries. Same when Ajinkya is around. Despite being an India player, he made everyone comfortable and kept the Mumbai dressing room atmosphere relaxed," adds Dani.

"I have also witnessed Ajinkya's generosity. In the dressing room, he prefers to sit with youngsters or debutants and gives them tips on how to handle dressing room and match pressure. I've seen him give away pads, gloves and other cricketing gear to young cricketers.

"I know Ajinkya and his family, his wife and parents from a long time now. They are a very simple family. Very down to earth and that is what makes Ajinkya a special human being. For any cricketer, he is the perfect example to follow on and off the field," says Dani.

"Ajinkya has never done any charity work or good deed to show off or be in the limelight. He has always done it discreetly.

"When our coach Vidya Paradkar sir was suffering from a kidney issue, we were all looking for ways to help him financially. Ajinkya supported him discreetly, regularly settling his hospital bills for his dialysis. We came to know about this from Paradkar sir's wife only after his death," says Dani.

One of Mumbai's best captains

Rahane's stats as India captain are impressive, with 8 wins and 2 draws in 11 Test matches. But his leadership skills were shaped from domestic success.

"In 2018, when I was Mumbai fielding coach, Ajinkya was leading a young Mumbai team in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Bangalore. His leadership was remarkable. He captained in 5 or 6 of the 9 league games before having to leave for India duty for a one-off Test. Those three games that he was absent, we missed him a lot. We won two of those three games and made the knockouts for which he returned and led Mumbai to the first Vijay Hazare Trophy," Dani remembers.

"The Irani Trophy, which eluded Mumbai since 1998, was finally won when Rahane captained the team in 2024-2025. Under Ajinkya's captaincy, Mumbai has won the Ranji Trophy, the Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy.

"He should be recognised by the BCCI and the MCA because he has a wonderful record as captain for Mumbai as well as for the country. He is definitely one of Mumbai's greatest captains. Don't just look at the stats but see the different challenges and the time when he has led," says Kulkarni.

Rahane has plenty more to offer cricket

Dinesh Karthik picked The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony as background music in a Facebook post to salute Rahane on his exit from international cricket.

But Kulkarni says the songs that rightly personify his buddy Rahane are Abhi Mujh Mein Kahi, Todi Baaki Si Hai Zindagi from the Hrithik Roshan starrer Agneepath. "I feel he still has plenty of qualities left to serve not just Indian cricket, but international cricket as well."

"And the other song is the Backstreet Boys number I'll be the One, because you know he will always stand up and fight for the team or whoever needs him.

"Rahane was inspired by Shivaji's stories, and like him, he had character and his leadership was impactful," says Kulkarni. 

"And while his cricketing achievements are obvious, people should remember Ajinkya Rahane, the person. Because he has inspired youngsters in the dressing room by his powerful humane gestures."