Ajinkya Rahane ends his cricketing career as one of the stalwarts of the national team, a man whom the team banked upon in red-ball cricket, especially in overseas tours.
Rahane’s ability to deal with swinging deliveries on pace-friendly pitches gave him a rare skill that not many Indians have mastered. However, as the veteran batter announced his decision to quit all forms of the game, the first call he received was from the great Sachin Tendulkar. Later, messages from the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah also buzzed his phone.
Speaking to the Indian Express, Rahane revealed that Tendulkar was the first one to call him, soon after he posted the retirement video on social media. The Master Blaster was quick to point out his disappointment, saying he thought Rahane would go on to play more games for India than he eventually did.
Irfan Pathan was another former player who called Rahane while current superstars – Kohli, Rohit and Bumrah – sent him text messages.
“The first call came from Sachin (Tendulkar) paaji, who said he thought I would play for longer. I told him I didn’t want to drag on because I was retiring without any regrets. Irfan Pathan also called, while Pujara, Virat, Rohit and Bumrah all messaged me. I told everyone the same thing: I was satisfied because I had given everything to the game,” Rahane told the paper.
Be it on call or via messages, Rahane’s response to everyone was the same, that he was at peace with the decision. The 38-year-old admitted that he became quite emotional after recording the retirement video.
“After recording the video, I cried a lot. I was emotional while discussing retirement with my family, but I didn’t expect the recording itself to affect me so much. The reality hit that I would no longer do something I had loved for years. That thought stayed with me throughout the recording,” said Rahane.
Rahane also spoke about the time he spent on the field with Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli.
“Pujara and I played a lot together in domestic cricket, while Virat and I spent more time together playing for India. But the bonding we had was really good. We shared one goal, taking India’s Test team to the top. From being ranked sixth or seventh in 2015, we gradually became the No. 1 Test side. We constantly discussed and analysed the game, learnt from each other and built a strong bond. Before becoming champions, we also went through difficult phases together in Tests, but it was enjoyable,” he said.