Table of Contents
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has shared his views on Ajinkya Rahane as a captain for the India National Cricket Team. Rahane recently called upon his career as he retired from all forms of cricket. He announced in an emotional video uploaded from his official social media handle on July 30, 2026, concluding a career that spanned nearly two decades.
Ajinkya Rahane has been an amazing Test captain for the Men in Blue. He led the side to their famous 2-1 victory in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in the 2020-21 season when some senior cricketers were injured and also the regular captain Virat Kohli left the side after the first Test.
"His record as a skipper is exceptional"- Sunil Gavaskar on Ajinkya Rahane's record as Test captain
Sunil Gavaskar, while writing in his column, stated that Rahane has been exceptional as a Test captain, as he has led the side in six Test matches, winning four and losing none in his career; he compared him with former India captain Rahul Dravid, who also was excellent but did not get enough credit.
“His record as a skipper is exceptional, with four wins out of six and no losses. Like Rahul Dravid, who also had some terrific wins under his captaincy but never got the credit he deserved, so also Rahane’s leadership hardly got the applause that it merited,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.
“This is typical of Indian cricket. When the team wins, all praise goes to the individual achievers, be it batters and bowlers, but when the team loses, the captain and the coach get the blame,” he added.
Sunil Gavaskar praises Ajinkya Rahane for his excellent captaincy in 2020-21 BGT
Sunil Gavaskar also mentioned the comeback of Team India down under with Ajinkya Rahane as captain and Ravi Shastri as head coach. The Men in Blue were bowled out for 36 runs in the first Pink ball Test, which saw severe backlash and trolling. However, Rahane took over the captaincy and won the Melbourne Test and defeated Australia in the Brisbane Gabba, ending their 32-year-long streak.
“After the demoralising collapse of 36 all out in the first Test of the 2021 series Down Under, it was Rahane, along with Ravi Shastri, who picked the team from the dumps. The vice-captain took over a ship that was ready to sink and not only sailed it into calmer waters but also gave India an unprecedented first win at Australia’s fortress ‘The Gabba’ and with it the series victory too,” wrote Gavaskar.
“In fact, in the final Test of the series, when most of the top players were unavailable due to injury, India pulled off one of its greatest victories in Test cricket. It proved once again, if ever it was needed, that nobody is indispensable in this game,” he added.
Sunil Gavaskar calls Ajinkya Rahane selfless cricketer
Gavaskar finally stated that Rahane left the game with no controversy and with his head held high, as he has played the game selflessly for the country and did not have much fight and tussle with other cricketers as well.
“Rahane leaves the game with his head held high and the sincere thanks of cricket lovers for the totally selfless way he played the game. It’s not of many cricketers that it can be said that they did not have a single enemy in the game.”
“There are perhaps less than a dozen to the best of my knowledge and experience. Ajinkya Rahane can take his place there with his typical humility,” Gavaskar concluded.
