Ajinkya Rahane: The Quiet Contributor

New Delhi: When Ajinkya Rahane entered his residential society in Mumbai after leading a battered Indian team to an unlikely Test triumph in Australia five years ago, his excited neighbours welcomed him with a cake which had a kangaroo-shaped topping.

He had one look at it and agreed to cut only if the said topping was removed. Because the animal in question represented Australian pride and even in his moment of triumph, he did not want to disrespect the national symbol of a rival.

The incident was a reflection of the man's character. Clean, filled with poise, focussed on correctness with enormous courage built in.

As the veteran of 85 Tests and 5000 plus runs with 12 quality tons finally retires, more than two years after last playing for India, one question lingers.

Was Rahane an under-achiever or was he under-appreciated by India's cricketing ecosystem?

For most of his career, Rahane was overshadowed by the two alpha males of Indian cricket -- Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who dominated the discourse and narrative in the decade between 2011 and 2021.

This was despite the fact that at the peak of an injury crisis and in the absence of regular captain Kohli, Rahane instantly transformed himself into an inspirational leader who showed the way with his bat in India's greatest overseas Test series win against Australia when half of the first team regulars were out injured.

But like all quiet performers, Rahane wasn't given an option to complain about the crisis. He was handed a job with no long-term guarantees and he brought in his own style to calm an obviously rattled dressing room and deliver unexpectedly good results.

No flamboyant on-camera emotions, just satisfaction writ large on his face after India breached the Gabba fortress to humble the Australians. It was the quiet satisfaction of a job well done in extremely adverse circumstances.

And then in his inimitable manner, he stepped aside to play second fiddle once the regular skipper resumed.

Complaining wasn't in his grain. He didn't crib when as an eight-year-old, he was told by his father Madhukar to travel to Mumbai Maidan alone from suburban Dombivili. He was simply asked to grow up much like how he was asked to deliver as a stand-in skipper.

His batting was an extension of his character.

He earned his stripes through the hard grind of domestic cricket, and also led India with distinction during the limited opportunities he got. True to his name, he was undefeated in all six Tests in which he was the leader of the pack.

The hundred on a first day green top at Lord's was a knock that displayed his temperament and technique in equal measure.

The lofted boundary is still etched in memory. Yet somehow, Ishant Sharma's seven-wicket haul on the final day dominated the discussions.

The script was similar at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2021. After the ignominy of 36 all out at Adelaide, it was Rahane's hundred at Melbourne that set the tone for a series-levelling win.

His captaincy was top notch in terms of strategy. It was minimal in expression and high on execution.

Winning a series with a bowling attack comprising Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, T Natarajan and Washington Sundar would be remembered as his ultimate crowning glory.

But in that exact moment, he took a step back.

He asked Rishabh Pant to lead the victory lap with the India flag and retreated to the second row himself.

There was also a superb innings in the ODI World Cup against the Proteas at MCG but it faded from collective consciousness rather hastily. He was dropped from ODIs within a year and half of that knock.

Rahane had issues while handling spinners, which became his Achilles' Heel and ultimately his undoing.

But Rahane oozed class whether on the ground or off it.

It was evident from the way he told a rookie Yashasvi Jaiswal to "get out" of the ground during a domestic game as he was abusing an opposition batter. He didn't wait for the umpire. Just told Jaiswal to leave the ground.

But he never really had much control over the direction of his career.

Left-arm spinners got him out but while he was shown the door several others got a longer rope.

He did briefly make a comeback in World Test Championship final where he missed out on a hundred against Australia at the Oval but a couple of failures in the West Indies ended his international career.

There were a thousand reasons to persist with players establishment loved but just one would always be enough to leave Rahane by the wayside. Reasons cited included his inability to force pace against spinners in white ball cricket and that he was out to spinners of all hue in red ball cricket.

Once Ajit Agarkar became chairman of selectors, the chances of a comeback were minuscule. Yet Rahane soldiered on with IPL being a stable lifeline.

However, the disaster run in 2026 meant that there was not much cricket left for him and the dreaded "R" word had to be spelt out.