‘My Favourite Test Batting Partner’: Kohli pays emotional tribute to Ajinkya Rahane on retirement

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli penned an emotional note for his Test deputy Ajinkya Rahane, who announced his retirement from all forms of the game on Thursday (Jul 30), calling him the safest hands in the slips and his favourite Test batting partner. Kohli and Rahane have stitched several famous partnerships on home and away tours, mainly in Australia, helping India stand tall on almost all occasions. A perfect stand-in captain, Rahane led India to a famous 2-1 Test series win in Australia during the 2020-21 away tour, after Kohli left following the conclusion of the first Test in Adelaide, which India lost by 10 wickets.

With an inexperienced squad at the helm and a lack of leadership, Rahane’s guidance helped India sail through the turbulence Down Under. Under his leadership, India made history by becoming the first team to beat Australia in Australia on back-to-back Test tours.

Taking to his social media handles, Rahane’s former India teammate and captain, Kohli, shared a wholesome note for the Mumbai opener, writing, “Jinks, congratulations on a great career, buddy. You’ve done wonders for Indian cricket, and you can be very proud of your journey. The safest pair of hands in the slips and my favourite Test batting partner. Wishing you well always. God bless. 🤝🇮🇳 @ajinkyarahane88.”

Rahane made his India debut on the away England tour in 2011 during the white-ball series, showcasing his talent, class and timing in the challenging conditions. After VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid’s Test retirements in 2012, Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara became regulars in the whites, with Rahane sealing the number five spot for close to a decade.

Rahane featured in the 2014 T20 World Cup, 2015 ODI World Cup and the 2016 T20 World Cup in India, after which he lost his place in the ODI and T20I teams but remained the cornerstone of India’s Test side.

He played 195 matches for India across formats, scoring 8378 runs, including 15 hundreds and 51 fifties. Considered amongst the safest hands in the inner circle and even on the boundaries, as Kohli also mentioned, Rahane picked up 166 catches in total. His best score of 188 came against New Zealand during a home Test in 2016.

Known for his composure, stylish technique and unique ability to deliver better in challenging conditions, Rahane played several memorable knocks in South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia and even the West Indies. Good against pace and better against spin, the right-hander also scored over 14,000 first-class runs, averaging close to 45.