Rahane retirement: Last salute to the trouble maker, 3 such innings which gave this name to Rahane, he was the Maharaja of Melbourne

New Delhi. It cannot be denied that whenever it comes to fighting spirit, simplicity and batting boldly on foreign pitches, Ajinkya Rahane’s name will be mentioned in golden letters. 38-year-old Rahane, who was out of the Indian team for a long time, finally announced his retirement on July 30, 2026. Rahane’s career is an example of how even a calm player can leave a deep mark on the field.

Wearing the Indian jersey, he scored 5,077 runs in 85 Tests, 2,962 runs in 90 ODIs and 375 runs in 20 T20 matches. He had an unbeaten record as a captain in Test cricket, where he captained in 6 matches and India won 4 and drew 2. Rahane was called the ‘troubleshooter’ because whenever Team India’s top order disintegrated, he used to stand as a wall at the crease. The three most memorable and historic Test innings of his career which will always remain in the minds of cricket fans.

1. 112 runs vs Australia (Melbourne, 2020)

Virat had returned to India and Rohit had not reached Australia with the team, hence Rahane’s bat was not only a career innings, but one of the greatest innings in Indian Test history. In the Adelaide Test, the Indian team was all out for just 36 runs. In such extremely difficult circumstances, Rahane took over the captaincy and played a brilliant century of 112 runs in Melbourne (Boxing Day Test). His ‘captaincy innings’ not only won the match for India but also filled the team with such confidence that India won the historic Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1.

2. 103 runs vs England (Lord’s, 2014)

It is every batsman’s dream to score a century on the historic ground of Lord’s. During the 2014 tour of England, the Indian team lost 7 wickets for just 145 runs on the green and very helpful pitch of Lord’s. After this, Rahane along with the tail batsmen counter-attacked and played a magical inning of 103 runs. Thanks to this century, India made a respectable score and finally registered a historic Test win at Lord’s after 28 years. His name is forever recorded on the Honors Board of Lord’s.

3. 147 runs vs Australia (Melbourne, 2014)

This innings played against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in December 2014 was the biggest proof of Rahane’s technical skills. Australia had made a huge score of 530 runs in the first innings. In reply, Rahane along with Virat Kohli (169 runs) made a huge partnership of 262 runs for the fourth wicket. Rahane played an aggressive and classic inning of 147 runs against dangerous bowlers like Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Josh Hazlewood, which played an important role in drawing the match.
Ajinkya Rahane was not just a player of runs and centuries; He was a true soldier of the team. Be it his leopard-like fielding in the slips (where he set several world records) or batting at No. 5 in difficult conditions, he always put the country ahead of himself. With his retirement, a very decent and courageous chapter of Indian cricket has come to an end. Fans said thank you, ‘Jinx’!