Madan Lal Says No One Can Truly Replace Ajinkya Rahane After Retirement

"No one can truly replace Rahane...": Madan Lal hails Indian veteran after international retirement

By Sahil Kohli, Noida, July 30

Rahane, who last wore the Indian colours in 2023, pulled down curtains on a decorated international career marked by several match-saving, match-winning knocks and instances of calm, collected and effortless leadership that earned the respect of the dressing room.

Speaking to ANI, Madan said Rahane was a "true gentleman" as a cricketer who did not indulge in any controversy.

"Rahane has been a pillar of Indian cricket. Any player who has played international cricket for 12 to 15 years will certainly be regarded highly; he will be considered a great. In my view, Ajinkya Rahane was a true gentleman cricketer. I have never seen any controversy surrounding him. He played around 88 (85) Test matches, scored more than 5,000 runs including centuries, and also played a lot of One Day International cricket where he scored over 2,000 runs," said Madan.

The 1983 World Cup winner said that with the performances Rahane produced, he will be remembered as a great player. He also noted his fine performances for Mumbai in domestic cricket and how the city has given the sport some of its best players.

"If your performance remains at this level, you will definitely be remembered as a great player. He performed exceptionally well for Mumbai as well. Mumbai has always produced and given fine cricketers to Indian cricket," he said.

Just like a lot of Indian fans, for Madan as well, the biggest highlight of Rahane's career was how he picked up Team India, empowered the younger talent after suffering a shambolic loss in Adelaide Test back in 2020, where India was skittled out for just 36 runs. After team's then-regular skipper Virat Kohli left the squad after the defeat due to birth of his child, it was Rahane who stood up as a captain and led his team to an iconic 2-1 series win despite all odds.

Despite the team's dugout turning into a hospital ward with players getting injured one by one and experience decreasing with every Test after Adelaide loss due to emergence of younger names like Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj, T Natrajan, Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar, Rahane's calm head and a collective team effort from hungry and energised youngsters led India to one of its finest series wins.

"His biggest highlight, in my opinion, was when we were bowled out for 36 runs in Australia and then went on to win the series 2-1. That shows what a remarkable leader he was. To get bowled out for 36 and then rally the team to win the Test match and the series demonstrates how calm and quiet a leader he was. You win such matches only when you think in the right direction. Ajinkya Rahane served India remarkably well. I wish him all the luck, and in his next journey, he can certainly play a great role," he said.

Madan holds Rahane's batting in whites in high regard, as despite the presence of youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Sai Sudharsan and seniors like KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja being in form of their lives, the former all-rounder said that the team will miss a player like 'Jinx', as the batter is known and his ability to withstand pressure, rebuild an innings after crisis.

"His team will definitely miss him, because when a player plays cricket for 15 years, you are bound to miss them. However, no one can truly replace Ajinkya Rahane. He was a player who, whenever a crisis arose, held one end firmly. When two or three quick wickets fall, the pressure is immense, but he built the innings from there," he said.

"The names you mentioned--Rishabh Pant, Sai Sudharsan, or Yashasvi Jaiswal--are all fantastic young players. But only when they play for as long as Ajinkya Rahane did can we truly say they belong to the same class as Ajinkya Rahane," he added.

Rahane had an undefeated Test captaincy record, featuring four wins, two draws, and the highest win percentage for an Indian Test captain with at least five matches. His tenure included a memorable comeback victory in Melbourne and India's historic triumph at the Gabba, which ended Australia's long unbeaten streak at the venue during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which the Asian Giants won 2-1. Rahane also led India to a crucial Test win against Australia in Dharamshala in 2017 and a Test win against Afghanistan as well.

On if the batter deserved more chances as a captain, he said that while Rahane did really well as a captain whenever he got a chance, replacing captains like Virat Kohli and later Rohit Sharma, who led India to ICC World Test Championship finals, was always going to be a difficult task for the selectors.

"But whatever opportunities he received, he delivered great performances, and the results are right in front of you. International cricket is not easy; it is a high-pressure environment. For a player like Ajinkya Rahane to serve for 15 years--I would say well done to Ajinkya Rahane. I wish him all the best for his future journey," he said.

In Tests, Rahane played 85 matches and 144 innings, scoring 5,077 runs, including 12 centuries and 26 fifties, at an average of 38.46 and a strike rate of 49.50.

In ODIs, he has featured in 90 matches and 87 innings, scoring 2,962 runs, with 3 centuries and 24 fifties, at an average of 35.26 and a strike rate of 78.63. In T20Is, he played 20 matches and 20 innings, scoring 375 runs, with no centuries and one fifty, at an average of 20.83 and a strike rate of 113.29.

— ANI