Cap 278, Rahane, retires: Did India truly value its crisis man?

By K.R. Nayar 

Ajinkya Rahane announced his retirement from international cricket, leaving behind a treasure full of memories. They were performances that made India look formidable against top teams. He was often dropped during his prime, especially when he deserved to be firmly entrenched in the Indian team. Rahane was a selfless, ultimate team man, an exceptionally brilliant fielder, and a batter who could adapt to any conditions and format. His elegance was without noise and refused to be flashy to attract public attention.

Rahane deserves a rich tribute as he walks away from international cricket for many compelling reasons. A glance at his performances makes one wonder why Rahane, now 38 years old, was never picked for ODIs since 2018 (at the age of 30), for T20I matches since 2016 (at the age of 28), and why his last Test appearance came in 2023. Fans thereafter got to applaud him only in domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League. He will stand tall as one among the finest Mumbai cricketers.

Rahane carried the tag of being one of the finest overseas-condition Test batters, yet he rarely received the protection such a player deserved. Time and again, he proved he was India’s crisis man. He has hit Test centuries at some of the toughest venues in the world, like Melbourne, Lord’s, and Wellington. Rahane made everyone proud in the 2020 Test series against Australia when, after the Adelaide Test in which India were bowled out for 36, in the next Test in Melbourne, he, as stand-in captain, cracked 112.

As a captain, he walks off as an unbeaten leader. He captained India in six Test matches, drawing two and winning four. To have never been considered for more matches as a captain is yet another mystery. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Cheteshwar Pujara as a consistent Test batter. Rahane, from 85 Tests, had scored 5077 runs at an average of 38.46, while Pujara got to play 103 Tests and scored 7195 runs at an average of 43.60. Both played a big role in lifting the Indian team’s reputation in Test cricket. Rahane never got a Test double century, as his career-best was 188 against New Zealand in Indore in 2016.

All of Rahane’s 12 centuries were brilliant, as were his three centuries in ODIs. Interestingly, out of his 15 international centuries, India won 12 of them and three ended in draws. He showed how not to fail on lush green wickets and in tough conditions in England through his 103 versus England at Lord’s in 2014. He lifted India from 145 for 7 to a respectable total of 295. When Rahane was recalled for the World Test Championship 2023 final, he top-scored against Australia with a brilliant 89 in the first innings and followed it with 46 runs in the second innings at The Oval. And yet, after two more Tests that year, the doors closed on him. In Rahane’s case, consistency often met with uncertainty.

Rahane never got to play ODIs since 2018, but in 2017 his knocks against Australia were 55, 70, 53, and 61. Even in his last ODI series against South Africa in 2018, he began with a knock of 79, and in his last ODI he remained unbeaten on 34. The last time I reported his knock was his T20I innings of 40 against West Indies in the 2016 World T20 semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium.

The tale of Cap 278 in my book Whispers of the Indian Test Cap  

As a slip fielder, Rahane was outstanding. He holds the all-time world record for the most catches taken by a non-wicketkeeper fielder in a single Test match. He took eight brilliant catches against Sri Lanka at Galle in August 2015, surpassing previous joint holders like Greg Chappell and Stephen Fleming. He walks off with a century of Test catches (102) to prove how agile and fit he was as a player. To have played in 212 IPL matches is also proof of his fitness. Very few may know that he is a black belt in judo and once remarked that karate training helped him in fitness and mental toughness.

When I wrote the book ‘318 Whispers of the Indian Test Cap’, I realised he was Test cap number 278. It was through an emotional video message on Instagram, captioned “Cap 278 signing off,” that he announced his retirement. It reflected his respect not only towards India’s Test cap but also the value he attached to Test cricket, the supreme form of the game. Rahane will always be remembered as the man who let his bat—and his character—do the talking.