India's Border-Gavaskar 2020-21 Trophy-winning captain Ajinkya Rahane called time on his international cricket career on July 30. Rahane announced his retirement via a video on social media. Less than a couple of weeks after the announcement, Rahane has revealed that many former and current cricketers reached out to him. But, legendary Sachin Tendulkar called him up shortly after the video made rounds on social media. Tendulkar told him that he could've played a bit longer.
"The first call came from Sachin (Tendulkar) paaji, who said he thought I would play for longer. I told him I didn’t want to drag on because I was retiring without any regrets. Irfan Pathan also called, while Pujara, Virat, Rohit and Bumrah all messaged me. I told everyone the same thing: I was satisfied because I had given everything to the game," Rahane told the Indian Express.
Rahane got emotional towards the end of his retirement video. The 38-year-old revealed he cried a lot after recording the video. He did not expect the announcement to affect him emotionally.
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Rahane, Ashwin in ETPL action
Rahane has announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket. He will be seen playing in T20 franchise cricket tournaments, starting with the European T20 Premier League (ETPL) inaugural season this year. He will represent Mitchell Marsh-led Amsterdam Flames which is co-owned by legendary Australian captain Steve Waugh.
Rahane is the second Indian to feature in the ETPL 2026 after Ravichandran Ashwin who will be leading Dublin Guardians. He will be seen in action in the ETPL opener against Faf du Plessis-led Rotterdam Dockers at Voorburg, Sportpark Duivesteijn, on August 26.
Rahane will play the seventh T20 franchise in his T20 cricket career. He has played for Mumbai Indians (MI), Rajasthan Royals (RR), now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants, Delhi Capitals (DC), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Rahane to join elite Indian T20 batters’ list
The 38-year-old is just 32 runs away from completing 8,000 runs in T20 cricket. He will become the eighth Indian batter after Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, Suresh Raina to achieve the feat.