Ajinkya Rahane – Career, Stats, Records & Personal Life
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Ajinkya Rahane, an Indian international cricketer who represented India in all three formats from 2001 to 2023, also plays county cricket for Leicestershire in England and also served as vice-captain of India’s Test team and captained India in all formats.
Under his captaincy, India famously won the 2020–21 Border–Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
Currently, Rahane is the captain of the Mumbai team in domestic cricket and the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
| Full name | Ajinkya Madhukar Rahane |
| Nickname | Ajju, Jinks |
| Born | 6 June 1988 (age 36) |
| Place | Ashwi KD, Maharashtra, India |
| Height | 5ft. 6in (1.66m) |
| Jersey No | 27 |
| Batting Style | Ajju, Jinks |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm off-spin |
| Playing Role | Batter |
| Mother’s Name | Sujatha Rahane |
| Father’s Name | Madhukar Baburao Rahane |
| Spouse | Radhika Dhopavkar |
| Nation Side | India (2011–2023) |
| ODI Debut | 3 September 2011 v England |
| T20I Debut | 31 August 2011 v England |
| Test Debut | 22 March 2013 v Australia |
Early Life
Ajinkya Rahane was born on 6 June 1988 in Ashwi KD, Sangamner Taluka, Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India. His father, Madhukar Baburao Rahane, was an engineer in MIDC, and his mother, Sujatha Rahane, was a homemaker. His parents were very supportive of his cricketing career, and both of them contributed to it in significant ways.
Rahane started his cricket training at the early age of 7 in a small coaching camp with a matting wicket in Dombivli. His mother often walked several kilometers with him to attend practice sessions, carrying his cricket kit as they couldn’t afford a rickshaw.
Rahane completed his Secondary School Certificate (SSC) from SV Joshi High School, Dombivli, and at the age of 17, he received professional coaching from Pravin Amre, a former India batsman; this led to the strong foundation for his future higher-level cricket.
Ajinkya Rahane was married to his childhood friend Radhika Dhopavkar on 26 September 2014 in Mumbai; both of them have two children, daughter Arya and son Raghav.
Domestic Career
Rahane made his first-class debut for Mumbai in the 2007-08 Ranji Trophy. In this season, Rahane scored 1089 runs in 13 matches at an average of 68.06, including five centuries. This score was considered one of the highest seasonal scores in Ranji Trophy history. Then, in the Mohammed Nisar Trophy (2007), he scored 172 runs against Karachi Urban. This laid a strong foundation for his first-class career.
Rahane played a significant role in the 2008–09 Ranji Trophy, where Mumbai won the title, and he was one of the consistent players in the Ranji, where he scored more than 1000 runs in three consecutive Ranji seasons. He was Mumbai’s top-order batsman known for his composure and consistency.
His strong performances for India A, especially in tours to Australia and the West Indies, further led to his national selection. His domestic form earned him a spot in the Indian national squad by 2011, starting with limited-overs formats and later in Tests.
International Carrer
Rahane made his initial debut for the T20 international on 31st August 2011 against England at Manchester. In the India team he played primarily as an opener or at No. 3 batter because of his timing and technique rather than power-hitting. In his career he has played 20 T20I matches and scored 375 runs. Therefore, Rahane was not regular in India’s T20I 28 August 2016, he played his last T20I against West Indies.
On 3 September 2011, Rahane made his ODI debut against England, where he played mostly in the top 3, occasionally at No. 4, contributing as a steady and reliable batter.
He has played 90 ODI matches and scored 2962 runs with an average of 35.26. Rahane was well known for building partnerships, playing well against spin, and performing well in overseas conditions. On 16 February 2018, he played his last ODI match against South Africa.
Ajinkya Rahane made his Test debut on 22 March 2013 against Australia in Delhi. In Test format he typically played as a middle-order batter, either No 5 or No 6.
Rahane played a total of 85 Test matches and scored 5077 runs with an average of 38.46; he was also the captain of the Indian Test cricket team which won the 2020–21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. On 20 July 2023, he played his last Test match against West Indies.
IPL Career
Rahane made his debut for IPL in 2008 with Mumbai Indians and played 2 matches and scored only 4 runs in that season, there he got limited opportunities as it was his early stage at the cricketing field. His Breakthrough came in IPL 2012 with Rajasthan Royals, scoring 560 runs in 16 matches including his maiden IPL century (103*).
Thereafter he represented various franchises such as Mumbai Indians (2008–2010), Rajasthan Royals (2011–2015, 2018–2019), Rising Pune Supergiant (2016–2017), Delhi Capitals (2020–2021), Kolkata Knight Riders (2022, 2025) and Chennai Super Kings (2023–2024)
In this IPL 2025 Season Rahane serving as captain of the KKR and performing well by scoring 184 runs in 5 matches.
Batting Career Summary
| Format | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
| Tests | 85 | 144 | 12 | 5077 | 188 | 38.46 | 10256 | 49.5 | 12 | 26 | 578 | 35 | 102 | 0 |
| ODIs | 90 | 87 | 3 | 2962 | 111 | 35.26 | 3767 | 78.63 | 3 | 24 | 293 | 33 | 48 | 0 |
| T20Is | 20 | 20 | 2 | 375 | 61 | 20.83 | 331 | 113.29 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 6 | 16 | 0 |
| FC | 201 | 340 | 30 | 14000 | 265* | 45.16 | 26309 | 53.21 | 41 | 59 | 1687 | 99 | 220 | 0 |
| List A | 192 | 187 | 15 | 6853 | 187 | 39.84 | – | – | 10 | 49 | – | – | 90 | 0 |
| T20s | 276 | 260 | 24 | 7036 | 105* | 29.81 | 5646 | 124.61 | 2 | 50 | 710 | 172 | 118 | 0 |
Source: espncricinfo.com
