Was thinking about retirement for a month, gave more than my best: Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane officially announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on July 30, 2026. The India batter ended a 13-year international career that began in 2013, during which he represented the country across all three formats.

Rahane played 85 Tests, 90 ODIs and 20 T20Is for India. In Test cricket, he scored 5,077 runs across 85 matches, including 12 centuries. His last international appearance came during the 2023 away Test series against the West Indies. The decision to step away came after considerable reflection on his career trajectory and personal goals.

"At first, it was extremely overwhelming. The realisation hasn't completely sunk in yet," Rahane said on his YouTube channel.

Rahane admitted that he took almost a month to come to his decision to retire. However, he is happy after taking the call as he always gave his best, both on and off the field during his playing career.

"I am very happy with the decision I have taken, because before making it, I was thinking about it for 20 to 25 days - almost a month. But in the end, the one thing I realised—and the reason I took this decision—is that there are no regrets. Whatever I wanted to try, whatever I wanted to achieve, or however much I had to give my best, I think I gave even more than my best," the former Kolkata Knight Riders captain said.

One of the defining moments of Rahane's career came during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, when he led India to a remarkable comeback series victory over Australia. He stepped in as captain for Virat Kohli and guided the team to a historic 2-1 series win in Australia in 2021, which included a famous Gabba victory. That triumph showcased his leadership qualities and ability to perform under pressure on the international stage.

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Rahane has always been known for his sharp cricketing mind. He has ventured into commentary and has also been analysing moments from the game on his YouTube channel.