Ajinkya Rahane facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Ajinkya Madhukar Rahane
Born	(1988-06-06) 6 June 1988 (age 37) Ashwi KD, Maharashtra, India
Nickname	Ajju, Jinks
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm off spin
Role	Batter
International information
National side	India (2011–2023)
Test debut (cap 278)	22 March 2013 v Australia
Last Test	20 July 2023 v West Indies
ODI debut (cap 191)	3 September 2011 v England
Last ODI	16 February 2018 v South Africa
ODI shirt no.	27
T20I debut (cap 39)	31 August 2011 v England
Last T20I	28 August 2016 v West Indies
T20I shirt no.	27
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2007–present	Mumbai
2008–2010	Mumbai Indians
2011–2015	Rajasthan Royals
2016–2017	Rising Pune Supergiant
2018–2019	Rajasthan Royals
2019	Hampshire
2020–2021	Delhi Capitals
2022, 2025	Kolkata Knight Riders
2023–2024	Chennai Super Kings
2024	Leicestershire
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI T20I FC Matches 85 90 20 201 Runs scored 5,077 2,962 375 14,000 Batting average 38.46 35.26 20.83 45.16 100s/50s 12/26 3/24 0/1 41/59 Top score 188 111 61 265* Catches/stumpings 102/- 48/– 16/– 220/–
Medal record Men's Cricket Representing  India ICC T20 World Cup Runner-up 2014 Bangladesh ICC Champions Trophy Runner-up 2017 England and Wales ICC World Test Championship Runner-up 2019-2021 Runner-up 2021-2023 ACC Asia Cup Winner 2016 Bangladesh
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 05 March 2025

Ajinkya Rahane, born on June 6, 1988, is a famous Indian cricketer. He has played for the Indian cricket team in all types of matches. He was also a captain and vice-captain for India in different cricket formats.

Rahane is known as a middle-order batsman in Test matches. In shorter games, like One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), he usually bats at the top of the order. He currently leads the Mumbai team in the Ranji Trophy. He also captains the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and plays for Leicestershire in England.

He made his first big cricket debut in 2007 for Mumbai. His international journey began in August 2011 with a T20I match against England. Rahane played his first Test match in March 2013. A big moment in his career was when he led India to win the 2020-21 Border–Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.

Early Life and Family

Ajinkya Rahane was born on June 6, 1988, in a place called Ashwi KD in Maharashtra, India. His parents are Madhukar Baburao Rahane and Sujata Rahane. He has a younger brother, Shashank, and a younger sister, Apurva.

When Ajinkya was just seven years old, his father took him to a small cricket coaching camp. They couldn't afford expensive training, so he started on a simple matting wicket. From the age of 17, he received coaching from Pravin Amre, a former Indian batsman. Ajinkya writes with his left hand, but he bats and bowls with his right hand. He finished his schooling at SV Joshi High School in Dombivli.

Rahane married his childhood friend, Radhika Dhopavkar, on September 26, 2014. They have two children. Their daughter, Aarya, was born on October 4, 2019. Their son, Raghav, was born on October 5, 2022.

Playing for Teams in India

Rahane showed great talent early on. He scored two centuries when the India U-19 team visited New Zealand in 2007. This helped him get picked for the Mohammad Nissar Trophy in Pakistan.

First-Class Cricket

Rahane made his first-class debut at 19 for Mumbai in September 2007. He played against Karachi Urban in the Mohammad Nissar Trophy. He scored an impressive 143 runs in his very first match.

In the 2008–09 Ranji season, Rahane scored 1089 runs. This was a big reason why Mumbai won their 38th title. He also scored a huge 265 not-out for Mumbai in the 2009–10 season. Rahane has scored over 1000 runs in three different seasons. His score of 152 in the 2011 Irani Trophy helped him get chosen for India's Test team.

One Day (List A) Cricket

Rahane played his first List A match for Mumbai in March 2007. He scored 61 runs in that game. He later scored two centuries in a tournament in Australia. This earned him a spot in India's ODI team for a tour of England in 2011.

In September 2018, Rahane became the captain of the Mumbai team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He also led India C in the Deodhar Trophy in October 2018. He scored a crucial 144 not-out in the final, leading his team to win the title.

In the 2023-24 season, Rahane led the Mumbai team to win the Ranji Trophy. Mumbai beat Vidarbha by 169 runs in the final.

Playing for India (International Career)

Test Matches

Rahane was first chosen for the Test team in November 2011. He made his Test debut on March 22, 2013, against Australia in Delhi. Even though he didn't score many runs in his first match, he got another chance.

He played well in India's tour of South Africa in 2013–14. He scored 209 runs in the series, including a great 96 runs against strong bowlers. Many people praised him for performing well in tough conditions.

Rahane scored his first Test century (118 runs) in New Zealand on February 15, 2014. He then scored his second century at Lord's Cricket Ground in England in July 2014. He became only the fourth Indian batsman to score a Test century in his first match at Lord's.

In the 2014–15 series against Australia, Rahane scored his third Test hundred in Melbourne. He made 399 runs in that series. In 2015, he set a world record by taking eight catches in a Test match against Sri Lanka. He also scored his fourth Test hundred in that series.

In December 2015, Rahane made centuries in both innings of a Test match against South Africa in New Delhi. This made him only the fifth Indian to achieve this rare feat. In August 2016, he reached his highest Test batting ranking of No. 8 in the world.

Rahane became India's 33rd Test Captain on March 25, 2017, leading the team against Australia. He scored another century in Sri Lanka in August 2017. He also captained India in a Test match against Afghanistan in 2018.

In December 2020, Rahane became the captain of the Indian team for the last three matches of the tour of Australia. He led India to a famous 2–1 series victory, winning the second Test with a century (112 runs) and a quick 27 not-out. This was a huge achievement, especially since many key players were injured.

Rahane captained India in 6 Test matches, winning 4 and drawing 2.

One-Day International (ODI) Matches

Rahane made his ODI debut against England in August 2011. He scored 40 runs in that match. He scored two centuries in a tournament in Australia, which helped him get into the ODI team.

He scored his first ODI century (106 runs) against England in September 2014. He followed this with another century (111 runs) against Sri Lanka in November 2014. In 2015, he was appointed captain of India for a tour of Zimbabwe. India won that ODI series 3–0.

T20 International (T20I) Matches

Rahane made his T20I debut against England in August 2011. He scored a half-century (61 runs off 39 balls) in that match. He was part of the Indian team that reached the final of the 2014 ICC World T20. He also captained India in two T20I matches against Zimbabwe.

International Centuries

Rahane has scored 12 centuries in Test matches and three in One Day Internationals. He has not scored a century in Twenty20 Internationals.

List of Test centuries

No.	Score	Against	Pos.	Inn.	Test	Venue	H/A/N	Date	Result	Ref
1	&10000000000001200000000 118	New Zealand	7	2	2/2	Basin Reserve, Wellington	Away	14 February 2014	Drawn
2	&10000000000001200000000 103	England	5	1	2/5	Lord's, London	Away	17 July 2014	Won
3	&10000000000001200000000 147	Australia	5	2	3/4	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne	Away	26 December 2014	Drawn
4	&10000000000001200000000 126	Sri Lanka	3	3	2/3	P Sara Oval, Colombo	Away	20 August 2014	Won
5	&10000000000001200000000 127	South Africa	5	1	2/3	Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi	Home	3 December 2015	Won
6	&10000000000001200000000 100*	South Africa	6	3
7	&10000000000001200000000 108*	West Indies	5	2	2/4	Sabina Park, Kingston	Away	30 July 2016	Drawn
8	&10000000000001200000000 188	New Zealand	5	1	3/3	Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi	Home	8 October 2016	Won
9	&10000000000001200000000 132	Sri Lanka	5	1	2/3	Sinhalese SCG, Colombo	Away	3 August 2017	Won
10	&10000000000001200000000 102	West Indies	5	3	1/2	Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua	Away	22 September 2019	Won
11	&10000000000001200000000 115	South Africa	5	1	3/3	JCSA Stadium, Ranchi	Home	19 October 2019	Won
12	&10000000000001200000000 112	Australia	4	2	2/4	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne	Away	26 December 2020	Won

List of ODI centuries

No.	Score	Against	Pos.	Inn.	SR	Venue	H/A/N	Date	Result	Ref
1	&10000000000001280000000 106	England	1	2	106.00	Edgbaston, Birmingham	Away	2 September 2014	Won
2	&10000000000001130000000 111	Sri Lanka	1	1	102.78	Barabati Stadium, Cuttack	Home	2 November 2014	Won
3	&10000000000001130000000 103	West Indies	1	1	99.04	Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain	Away	25 June 2017	Won

IPL Career

Rahane with his Rajasthan Royals teammates in 2012

Rahane joined the Mumbai Indians squad early in his career but didn't get many chances to play. Then, Rajasthan Royals bought him for the 2012 Indian Premier League. Rahul Dravid and Shane Watson saw his talent and gave him the chance to open the batting. Rahane said that opening with Rahul Dravid helped him show his skills.

Rahane had a very successful time with Rajasthan Royals. He became well-known in the 2012 IPL season. He scored a match-winning 98 runs in his first game and then an unbeaten 103 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was the first batsman to score a century in the 2012 IPL and was the top run-scorer for Rajasthan Royals that season.

Over the years, Rahul Dravid helped Rahane grow as a player. Rahane changed from being a shy player who focused on longer cricket formats to someone who could bat well in any position and any type of game.

Rahane played for Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016 and 2017 when Rajasthan Royals were not allowed to play in the IPL. He was the top run-scorer for Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016.

In 2018, Rajasthan Royals brought Rahane back. He became the captain of Rajasthan Royals for the 2018 season. In 2019, Rahane played some important innings for Rajasthan, including a century against Delhi Capitals. He became the highest run-scorer for Rajasthan Royals that season.

In November 2019, Rahane moved from Rajasthan Royals to Delhi Capitals. He was kept by the team for the 2021 season. In February 2022, Kolkata Knight Riders bought him for the 2022 Indian Premier League tournament.

In the IPL 2023 season, Chennai Super Kings bought Rahane. He became a very important part of the team that won the title. He batted at number 3 and scored runs very quickly. His important innings helped Chennai Super Kings win the final. This was Rahane's first IPL title. In the IPL 2025 Auction, he was sold to Kolkata Knight Riders again. In March 2025, he was named the captain of the team.

Awards

Vijay Goel (left) giving the Arjuna Award to Rahane (center), 2016

• CEAT Indian Cricketer of the Year: 2014–15
• MA Chidambaram Trophy for best Under-19 cricketer: 2006–07
• Arjuna Award: 2016