Ajinkya Rahane timed everything perfectly—even his retirement

Timing was the essence of Ajinkya Rahane’s batting. Hence, it was only natural that he showed an unerring sense of timing while deciding when to hang his cricketing boots. True to his understated self, he decided to go quietly, without giving himself the chance to leave the field in a blaze of glory, in front of cheering crowds and flashing bulbs. His emotional post titled “cap no: 278” on social media captured the essence of the person and brought forth rich tributes from his colleagues, friends and followers of the game.

Coming through the ranks of Mumbai cricket, it was only natural that Rahane grew up placing a high price on his wicket. He was a quintessential Mumbaikar who came up solely on account of his hard work, dedication and absolute commitment to the game. What sets Rahane apart from his contemporaries are certain aspects of his character and career that are unique to him and hence worthy of special mention.

Born in 1988 in a lower middle-class family in Mumbai, Rahane had to wait till he was 17 years old before he received formal support from an established coach. His tutelage under Pravin Amre, which began at this stage, proved to be the turning point of his career. He was selected to the India Under-19 side that toured New Zealand in 2007, where he performed well, scoring a couple of centuries. He was inducted into the Mumbai side for the Mohammad Nissar Trophy in Pakistan, where he announced himself with a century on debut, and there was no looking back after that.

Though Rahane was included in the national side for red-ball cricket in November 2011, he had to wait for another 16 months before getting an opportunity to play in a Test match, which must have been a period of extreme frustration for him. He disappointed when he finally got an opportunity, at Delhi against the touring Aussies in March 2013, as he could not score many runs in his maiden appearance in test cricket. But he came good when India toured South Africa in 2013-14. After a sedate start in the first test, he came into his own in the next match, scoring half-centuries in both innings. His knock of 96, in an Indian total score of 223, in the second innings of this test, impressed the critics both for the composure he displayed while facing the famed pace attack of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, as well as for the sound technique displayed by him in conditions that did not favour batsmen.

This pattern of scoring heavily in matches outside India while returning with modest scores in matches played at home stayed with Rahane throughout his career. Less than one-third of the 5077 runs made by him in Test matches were scored at home. Unlike most Indian batsmen, who were more at ease while batting on the pitches in the Indian subcontinent and found the going tough on the hard and bouncy tracks and “green tops”, Rahane was more proficient on wickets outside the country. Only four of his 12 centuries in test matches were scored in India, and his highest score of 188 came at Wellington in New Zealand, a venue notorious amongst cricketers not only for the conditions which help seam and swing bowling but also for the icy cold wind that cuts right to the bone. This speaks volumes about his batting technique, which he worked on to achieve near perfection, and his excellent temperament, which helped him to battle it out even in extremely adverse conditions.

Rahane’s greatest contribution to Indian cricket will remain the manner in which he marshalled the rapidly depleting resources to turn around the fortunes of the national side during the tour to Australia in 2020-21 and inflict a shock defeat on the hosts. India suffered a severe humiliation in the first match of the four-test series, when they were shot out for their lowest-ever score of 36 runs in the second innings, thus handing over the game to the Aussies on a platter. When regular skipper Virat Kohli left the team after this test to be with his wife during her delivery, followers expected a repeat of the infamous “summer of 42” that took place in England in 1974. But Rahane, who took over the captaincy from Kohli, led from the front and put the side back on the rails with a brilliant innings of 112 in the second test at Melbourne, to help set up an 8-wicket win for the visitors. After surviving the Aussie bowlers on a tense last day of the third test at Sydney to clinch a draw, India played brilliantly to chase a last-innings target of 329 to clinch a 3-wicket victory in the last match at Brisbane. Lifting the Gavaskar- Border Trophy at the end of this series will remain the high point of Rahane’s career in international cricket.

Rahane was unfortunate in that he was unfairly treated by the selectors when it came to One Day Internationals. He was dropped from the national side in this format of the game in February 2018 and did not get a look in after that. This was more stupid than surprising as India was on the lookout for a top-quality batsman who could hold the middle order together in the months leading up to the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup of 2019, when the selectors decided to discard Rahane. It is the firm belief of many persons, including yours truly, that India would not have faltered in the semifinal clash against New Zealand had Rahane been in the side, manning the crucial No. 4 slot. It was never in doubt that he would have contributed more to the side than the “three-dimensional cricketer” and other players of lesser ability who were part of the team in this tournament. The mulish stubbornness on the part of the powers that be of Indian cricket to consider Rahane solely as a red-ball cricketer did considerable damage to the prospects of the national side in this championship.

One quality of Rahane that stood out right through his career was his brilliance as a fielder. He was a catcher par excellence in the slips, as can be seen from his tally of 102 catches. Thus, he belongs to the elite club of 43 players who are not wicketkeepers, with more than 100 catches to their credit in Test cricket. He seldom dropped any edge that came his way and was a perfect successor to Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in manning the slip cordon.

The last phase of his career saw Rahane metamorphose as an explosive batsman at the top of the order in T20 cricket. His last four seasons in Indian Premier League (IPL)- two each with Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders- saw him in this role with good returns from the willow. However, he did not have a great stint as captain of KKR as the side languished in the bottom half of the table in both these years.

Though raised in the hard-as-nails atmosphere of Mumbai cricket, Rahane modelled himself more on Dravid, who mentored him during his early days in the IPL. Dravid took Rahane under his wing after the latter was recruited to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) franchise in 2011. Under the senior man’s guidance, Rahane adapted to the requirements of the shortest version of the game by honing his attacking instincts and developing the technical fluency to bat at any position in the order. Not surprisingly, Rahane’s best years in IPL were the ones he spent in the RR camp.

More importantly, Rahane chose to follow Dravid’s demeanour and approach outside the field as well. He was always a picture of dignity and decorum on and off the field and took the rough and tough times in his stride, never uttering a word in rancour or resentment. His unwillingness to cut a cake showing the national flag of Australia after the win in 2020-21 stands out as a glittering example of this “gentlemanly” attitude.

Well played, Ajinkya Rahane! Best wishes to this selfless and self-effacing cricketer as he embarks on his next innings in life!