Sunil Gavaskar, a renowned cricketer, lauded Ajinkya Rahane‘s contributions to Indian cricket by comparing him to another prior captain. Gavaskar praised Ajinkya Rahane’s remarkable captaincy record, which includes four victories and no losses in six matches.
On July 30, 2026, Ajinkya Rahane announced his retirement from international cricket, after 85 Tests, 90 ODIs, and 20 T20Is. The 38-year-old’s departure marked the end of a chapter that began in 2013 and included one of the most significant captaincy stints in Indian cricket history. Even though Rahane’s leadership came at a time when India was facing enormous challenges, his record was exceptional.
Like Rahul Dravid, who had some fantastic wins as captain but never received the credit he deserved, Rahane’s leadership received little recognition. This is typical for Indian cricket.
When the team wins, all credit goes to the individual performers, whether they are batsmen or bowlers; when the team loses, the captain and coach are blamed,” Gavaskar noted in his Mid-Day column.
Ajinkya Rahane’s persona and legacy
Rahane’s leadership was evident throughout India’s 2020-21 tour to Australia, which was fraught with difficulties from the start. India faced a difficult assignment after getting dismissed for 36 in the first Test.
Several team members were injured, reducing the available resources, and Virat Kohli left while he and his wife awaited the birth of their first child.
Ajinkya Rahane exploited this gap and led India to a stunning comeback. Ajinkya Rahane scored a century to help India win the Test, which was played immediately following the Adelaide collapse.
The squad won the series 2-1, including a historic victory at Australia’s Gabba, a venue India had never won before. After a demoralizing collapse of 36 all out in the first Test of the 2021 series Down Under, Rahane and Ravi Shastri rallied the team.
Sunil Gavaskar praised the vice-captain for steering India to a series victory at Australia’s ‘The Gabba’, despite the absence of key players due to injury.
It demonstrated, if it wasn’t already clear, that no one is indispensable in this game. Rahane exits the game with his head held high and the gratitude of cricket fans for the completely altruistic way he played the game.
There aren’t many cricketers who can claim to have had no enemies in the game. According to my understanding and experience, there are probably less than a dozen. Ajinkya Rahane can take his spot there with his usual humility,” he added.
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