Dombivli, the satellite town near Mumbai that Ajinkya Rahane mentioned in his retirement video, is around 50 kilometres from the Azad Maidan, the birthplace of Mumbai’s school cricket.
The trip from home to the ground took about two hours, including an 80-minute travel on a crowded commuter train. Rahane would leave home at 7 a.m. to arrive at Azad Maidan in time for the 9.30 a.m. match.
Friends who accompanied him on those train journeys recall his match-day routine. He would carry two tiffin boxes, one for breakfast and one for lunch, and eat on the ground while his seniors walked out to find a local eatery. From a young age, his concentration was unwavering.
Nilesh Kulkarni, a former India left-arm spinner, was among Rahane’s early instructors. Both were from Dombivli and, ironically, attended the same school, SV Joshi High School, though at different times. The school’s coach asked Kulkarni to evaluate a talented young cricketer.I still recall the day I received a call from the school coach.
It happened to be the same institution I had attended, SV Joshi High institution. The coach informed me about a talented young cricketer who played incredibly well and encouraged me to come and watch him.
“I happened to be working in Dombivli at the time, so I went to see him bat in the nets. I was very impressed. “The fact that we came from the same town and went to the same school made it even more special,” says Kulkarni, who is 15 years older than Rahane. “From the very beginning, he stood out for his sincerity, hard work, focus and eagerness to learn.”
Kulkarni eventually moved from Dombivli to Mulund. Years later, Rahane moved to the same suburb, settling right behind the former India spinner’s home.
The two would frequently travel together to the Wankhede Stadium or the BKC site for practice. “Their bond persisted.”As we travelled together, I began to comprehend how he thought.
He was always a quiet and introverted guy, but he was quite clear about what he wanted. “He was determined to make something of himself from the start,” recalls Kulkarni, echoing the opinion of another former teammate, Dhawal Kulkarni.
“He appears peaceful, yet there is anger underneath that calm veneer. Even under pressure, he appeared cool, and I understood he possessed a blend of calm aggression.
We both played U-19 for Mumbai, India, and the Senior Mumbai team. He is always dedicated and true,” says Dhawal Kulkarni, a former India pacer who played for Rahane and regards him as a bowlers’ skipper.
Sincerity, devotion, hard effort, and a willingness to learn have long been defining characteristics of Rahane’s profession. Raju Pathak, a respected Mumbai cricket coach, recalls a match at Azad Maidan in which Rahane suffered a leg injury and was unable to bat at the top of the order.
With the squad in desperate need of runs, Rahane offered to bat despite his injuries.
“Despite being in great agony, he walked in at No. 7 and scored approximately 35 runs to lead the club to victory. He would have been 12 or 13 years old at the time.
Even at such a young age, he was earnest, hard-working, and entirely committed to cricket,” says Pathak, the coach at Bandra’s Rizvi College, where Rahane studied commerce.
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