Ajinkya Rahane Retires from International Cricket, Ends Memorable 12-Year India Career

Former India captain Ajinkya Rahane has announced his retirement from all formats of international cricket, bringing the curtain down on a memorable career that spanned more than 12 years.

The 38-year-old shared the news through a video, confirming his immediate retirement from international cricket. Rahane last played for India in July 2023 and said he now hopes to move into a mentoring role in the next phase of his cricket journey.

Rahane represented India in 195 international matches after making his debut in 2011. He finished with 8,414 international runs, including 5,077 runs in Test cricket and 2,962 in One-Day Internationals.

He earned a reputation as one of India’s finest overseas batters in the longest format. Eight of his 12 Test centuries came away from home, with memorable hundreds at Lord’s, Melbourne and Centurion among the highlights of his career.

Rahane’s biggest achievement came during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. After taking over the captaincy following the Adelaide Test, he guided an injury-hit Indian side to a historic 2-1 series victory. His unbeaten record as India’s Test captain remains another standout feature of his career.

Although his international career ended in 2023, Rahane continued to perform in domestic cricket. Earlier this year, he led Mumbai to the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy title, adding another major achievement to his long list of accomplishments.

Rahane will be remembered for his calm leadership, reliable batting in overseas conditions, and one of the greatest captaincy performances in Indian Test history.