He lost his heart on his sister’s friend…after 7 years he went to get married wearing jeans and t-shirt, the Indian cricketer whose simplicity is his identity

New Delhi. In the era of glitzy weddings and Instagram love, where relationships develop and deteriorate as quickly as a reel, Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane’s love story is like a breath of fresh air. The real strength of Rahane, who remains calm on the field, is not just his bat, but the unbreakable relationship he has built with his childhood friend Radhika Dhopavkar. The story of Ajinkya and Radhika does not need any big cinematic screen. This story starts from Mumbai in the 2000s, where children used to discuss cricket and Bollywood films in the chawl. Ajinkya and Radhika lived in the same housing society in Mulund area of ​​Mumbai. It was inevitable that both of them would collide with each other, because Radhika was a close friend of Ajinkya’s sister.

Around the year 2007, the acquaintance of Ajinkya Rahane and Radhika Dhopavkar turned into friendship during their college days. At that time Radhika was studying interior designing from Vinayak Ganesh Vaze College. Whereas Ajinkya was knocking on the doors of Team India by sweating on the domestic cricket pitch. Since both their families knew each other for years, when the seeds of love blossomed in their hearts, they immediately got the ‘green signal’ from their families. This was not a dating app love story, but a true and direct relationship that flourished in the narrow streets of Mulund.

7 years of wait and that ‘jeans-tshirt’ wedding story
Ajinkya Rahane and Radhika dated each other for seven years. During this time, Rahane went through a period of struggle to make his place in international cricket, and Radhika stood as his ‘rock’ in every ups and downs. On 26 September 2014, the couple decided to tie their relationship with the sacred bond of marriage. More than 1500 guests had attended this wedding held in Mumbai according to traditional Marathi customs, which included stalwarts from the cricket world. But there is such an incident related to this marriage which makes the fans smile even today. On his own wedding day, Ajinkya Rahane was so ‘casual’ that he arrived wearing a T-shirt and jeans! Seeing this, Radhika’s anger reached the seventh sky. Rahane realized his mistake and immediately ran away wearing Sherwani. Fans often say that only Rahane can do this. Because his simplicity is his identity.

Hero on the field, Radhika’s ‘Ajju’ at home
Radhika Dhopavkar (now Rahane) is also very popular on social media and her more than 3.5 lakh followers are crazy about her grace and simplicity. Rahane has publicly admitted many times that Radhika is his biggest supporter. Be it leading Team India to victory in the historic Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 or scoring runs at an average of more than 40 on foreign pitches, Radhika’s calm nature and her inspiration have always been behind Rahane’s success.

Rahane’s family is complete
Happiness increased in the lives of Ajinkya and Radhika when their little angel ‘Arya’ was born on 4 October 2019. Exactly three years later, on 5 October 2022, their son ‘Raghav’ arrived, completing their family. Rahane often shares pictures of the moments spent with his children and Radhika, which fans like very much.

Simplicity is the key to success
Today, when Ajinkya Rahane is preparing for his grand comeback in IPL 2026, his family remains his biggest strength. This ‘neighborhood love story’ of Ajinkya and Radhika teaches us that true love is not achieved by making noise, but by quietly supporting each other.