Why Indian Cricket Will Never Forget Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane, the resilient Indian cricketer known for his khadoos Mumbai attitude and exceptional leadership, has announced his retirement from international cricket, leaving behind a legacy of memorable performances and an unbeaten Test captaincy record.

Ajinkya Rahane retired on Thursday the way he batted for most of his career.. on his own terms and without any drama.

Cap number 278, as he put it in his own farewell message, was ready to be set down. At 38, with 85 Tests, 90 ODIs and 20 T20Is behind him, Rahane, known as Jinx to his friends and teammates -- called it a day on international cricket.

Rahane's own words in his farewell message did more to explain him than any stat sheet could. He spoke of travelling from Dombivli -- the township in Thane district -- as a young boy just to get in his practice, carrying one single dream through every net session -- to wear the India cap.

That's the origin story of the man Indian cricket came to lean on whenever things got difficult: No shortcuts, no entitlement, just a khadoos Mumbai maidan attitude and grind that eventually built a Test average of 38.46, a dozen hundreds, and 26 fifties.

In Mumbai cricket, khadoos isn't a personality trait; it's a way of batting. Long before it became a buzzword, Mumbai's maidans taught generations that the toughest cricketer isn't always the most gifted -- it's the one who simply refuses to break. Few embodied that spirit more completely than Ajinkya Rahane.

But Indian cricket had already decided how it would remember him, long before Thursday's announcement. Take a look...

The Unbeaten Captain

Six Tests. Four wins. Two draws. Zero defeats. The 38-year-old Rahane remains one of the rare Indian captains to lead in five or more Tests without tasting defeat.

It's not a flashy record, but it's the most kadak one in the book.

Adelaide to the Gabba -- THE Turnaround

Every cricketer has one chapter that defines how they will be remembered. For Ajinkya Rahane, it began in the summer of 2020-2021, when Indian cricket was at its lowest point.

India had been bowled out for 36 in Adelaide -- their lowest-ever Test total. Skipper Virat Kohli had flown home on paternity leave. The series looked all but gone.

As stand-in captain, Rahane's first message was simple: Forget the 36. Melbourne was a fresh start. Take it one Test at a time. Don't get caught up in the scoreboard.

Then he led by example. His 112 at the MCG wasn't perfect. He was dropped twice, interrupted by a rain break and eventually run out. But it was exactly the kind of innings the moment demanded -- patient and full of quiet resolve.

Years later, Rahane revealed he had barely slept the previous night because of a painful back spasm. He chose not to tell the team physio, worried it would become another distraction before the biggest innings of his career.

That hundred did more than level the series. It gave India belief. From there came the remarkable draw in Sydney and the famous win at the Gabba, where India became only the second team since Viv Richards' West Indies in 1988 to beat Australia in a Test series.

It wasn't a comeback fuelled by big speeches or bravado. It was built the way Rahane played his cricket -- one session at a time, with a quietly ziddi captain refusing to let panic take hold.

Defining Innings

Before he inspired India's greatest comeback overseas, Rahane had already delivered one of his finest acts of resistance at Lord's.

In 2014, at Lord's with India's top order blown away by James Anderson's swing and bounce, Rahane produced one of the finest centuries of his career. His 103 wasn't about domination; it was about defiance.

It laid the foundation for India's first Test victory at Lord's in 28 years. Rahane would later call it one of his two favourite innings in an India shirt, and it's easy to see why.

Then there was Melbourne in the 2015 World Cup. Against a South African attack featuring Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, Rahane shed his image as the patient accumulator and played one of the most exciting ODI knocks of his career.

His 79 off just 60 balls injected life into India's innings. India cruised to a 130 run win, and Rahane would later rank the innings among the finest he ever played in an India shirt.

Nearly eight years later, after fighting his way back into the Test side, Rahane was once again doing what he did best. Walking in with India under pressure in the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia, he stitched together a crucial partnership with Shardul Thakur and top-scored with 89 in the first innings.

It wasn't enough to win the trophy but it was a fitting reminder of the batter Rahane had always been -- calm in a crisis, dependable under pressure.

The Disciplinarian

Rahane's sense of right and wrong wasn't reserved only for himself. During the 2022 Duleep Trophy final, captaining West Zone, he ordered young Yashasvi Jaiswal off the field after repeated sledging complaints from the umpires.

Respect for opponents and match officials always came first for Rahane and certain situations, in his view, simply had to be handled a certain way.

The Late Reinvention

Just when everyone thought they had Rahane figured out as Test cricket's watchful anchor, IPL 2023 turned that image on its head. Reunited with M S Dhoni at the Chennai Super Kings, he reinvented himself as one of the tournament's most explosive batters.

Reverse scoops, audacious sixes over the wicket-keeper, a 27-ball 61 on debut for CSK and an unbeaten 71 off 29 against Kolkata Knight Riders the strokes were as unexpected as they were breathtaking.

A year after managing just 133 runs in seven games for KKR, Rahane was suddenly striking at nearly 200, leaving fans and experts wondering where this version had been hiding.

Kevin Pietersen, no easy man to impress, was left applauding one particular shot. It was proof that even in his mid-thirties, Rahane still had a few surprises left in him.

'Jinx Rahane has just played one of the greatest shots I've ever seen. Keep entertaining brother,' KP tweeted.