Career Timeline of Ajinkya Rahane: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Ajinkya Rahane made an impact.

Ajinkya Rahane is an Indian cricketer, a batsman who has represented India in all formats. He previously served as captain and vice-captain for the Indian Test team. Rahane currently captains Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, and also plays for Leicestershire in County Championship. He is known for his middle-order batting in Tests and top-order batting in limited-overs cricket. Notably, India lost only one match under his captaincy.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

March 2007: List A Debut

In March 2007, Ajinkya Rahane made his List A debut for Mumbai against Delhi for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

May 2007: End of lean patch for Mumbai

Rahane's debut in March 2013 brought an end to a lean patch for Mumbai, who had not produced a Test player for India since May 2007.

September 2007: First-Class Debut in Mohammad Nissar Trophy

In September 2007, at the age of 19, Ajinkya Rahane made his first-class debut for Mumbai against Karachi Urban in the Mohammad Nissar Trophy, scoring a century on debut.

2007: Score against England Lions

In 2007–08, Rahane scored 172 against England Lions for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy.

2007: India U-19 Tour of New Zealand

In early 2007, Ajinkya Rahane performed well when India U-19 toured New Zealand, with two centuries. He was subsequently picked for the Mohammad Nissar Trophy in Pakistan.

2007: First-class Debut

In the 2007–08 Ranji Trophy season, Ajinkya Rahane made his first-class debut for Mumbai.

2008: Crucial factor in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy win

In the 2008–09 Ranji season, Ajinkya Rahane played a crucial role in Mumbai's 38th title win, scoring 1089 runs.

2009: Score of 265 not-out against Hyderabad

In the 2009–10 season, Ajinkya Rahane scored 265 not-out against Hyderabad at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal.

2010: Impressing Shane Watson

In 2010, Shane Watson noticed Ajinkya Rahane after he scored an 80-ball century in the second innings of a three-day game against Australia A.

August 2011: International Debut

In August 2011, Ajinkya Rahane made his international debut for India in a Twenty20 International against England at Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester, scoring 61 runs off 39 balls. This match was Rahul Dravid's only T20I.

November 2011: Selection in Test Squad

In November 2011, Ajinkya Rahane was selected in the Test squad to play against West Indies.

2011: International Series Against England

In 2011, Ajinkya Rahane performed well in his maiden international series against England, including a 54-run innings. However, he struggled in subsequent limited-over matches against West Indies, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and England.

2011: Highest ODI Score

In 2011, Ajinkya Rahane scored his highest ODI score of 111 against Sri Lanka at Cuttack.

2011: Selection for India ODI Squad

In 2011, Ajinkya Rahane's performance in the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia earned him a place in the India ODI squad for the tour of England.

2011: Emergence in Limited-Overs Squad

In 2011, back to back centuries in the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia helped Ajinkya Rahane secure a place in the India limited-overs squad for the tour of England, making his debut against England at Chester-le-Street. The match was unfortunately washed out.

2012: Breakthrough in IPL 2012

In 2012, Ajinkya Rahane rose to prominence in the IPL playing for Rajasthan Royals. He scored a match-winning 98 against Kings XI Punjab and an unbeaten 103 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, becoming the leading run-scorer for Rajasthan Royals.

2012: IPL Century and International Recognition

In 2012, Ajinkya Rahane scored a century in IPL, leading to his inclusion in international matches.

2012: Move to Rajasthan Royals

In 2012, Ajinkya Rahane was bought by Rajasthan Royals after limited opportunities with Mumbai Indians. Rahul Dravid and Shane Watson recognized his talent and gave him the opportunity to open the innings.

March 2013: Test Debut in Border–Gavaskar Trophy

In March 2013, Ajinkya Rahane made his Test debut in the Border–Gavaskar Trophy.

March 2013: Test Debut against Australia

On March 22, 2013, Ajinkya Rahane made his Test debut against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi.

2013: Tour of South Africa

During India's tour of South Africa (2013–14), Rahane made 209 runs at an average of 69.66 in the series, including a 96 off 157 balls at Kingsmead, Durban.

2013: Asia Cup Performance

In 2013, Ajinkya Rahane scored an ODI fifty in the Asia Cup, but then experienced another slump in form.

2013: Ashes Series

In the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Rahane faced the opposition attack of Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris, the core of a bowling unit that famously won the 2013–14 Ashes series 5–0.

February 2014: First Test Century

On February 15, 2014, Ajinkya Rahane scored his first Test century at Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand against New Zealand, scoring 118.

September 2014: Century Against England

In September 2014, Ajinkya Rahane scored a century against England.

November 2014: Century Against Sri Lanka

In November 2014, Ajinkya Rahane scored a century against Sri Lanka.

2014: Second Test Century at Lord's

During the Investec Test Series in England in 2014, Ajinkya Rahane scored his second Test century at Lord's Cricket Ground, becoming the fourth Indian batsman to achieve this feat on his first appearance there.

2014: 2014 World T20 Performance

In 2014, Ajinkya Rahane was part of the Indian team that reached the final of the World T20. He played in the semi-final against Australia, scoring 32 runs. He also captained India in two Twenty20 Internationals against Zimbabwe, winning one and losing the other.

2014: Retained by Rajasthan Royals

In 2014, Ajinkya Rahane was retained by Rajasthan Royals for the Premier League season.

2014: Border-Gavaskar Trophy

In the 2014–15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, Rahane scored his third Test hundred in the third Test match at Melbourne.

2015: Centuries in both innings at New Delhi

During the 2015 Freedom Series, Ajinkya Rahane scored centuries in both innings of the 4th test match at New Delhi, becoming the fifth Indian to achieve this feat in a single test.

2015: Captaincy in Zimbabwe Tour

In 2015, Ajinkya Rahane was appointed as captain of India for the tour of Zimbabwe for ODIs and T20Is where India won the ODI series 3-0. Rahane scored 112 runs in three matches with one half-century.

2015: Record Catches and Fourth Test Hundred

In 2015, during the tour of Sri Lanka, Ajinkya Rahane broke the world record for most catches in a Test match with eight, and scored his fourth Test hundred in the second Test at PSS, Colombo.

August 2016: Career Best Test Ranking

On August 16, 2016, Ajinkya Rahane achieved his career best test batsmen's ranking of No. 8.

October 2016: Highest Test Score

In October 2016, Ajinkya Rahane scored his highest Test score of 188 against New Zealand at Indore.

2016: Leading Run-Scorer for RPS in 2016

In 2016, Ajinkya Rahane was the leading run-scorer for Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS).

March 2017: Test Captaincy Debut

On March 25, 2017, Ajinkya Rahane became India's 33rd Test Captain, leading the team in the 4th test against Australia in Dharamsala due to an injury to Virat Kohli.

August 2017: Century in Sri Lanka

In August 2017, Ajinkya Rahane scored a century in Sri Lanka.

2017: Captaining RPS in 2017

In 2017, Ajinkya Rahane led Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in a match against the Delhi Daredevils when Steve Smith was unavailable.

February 2018: Return to Rajasthan Royals and Captaincy

In February 2018, Ajinkya Rahane was brought back to Rajasthan Royals. Following the ball-tampering scandal and Steve Smith's ban, Rahane was appointed as the captain of Rajasthan Royals for the 2018 season.

September 2018: Named Captain of Mumbai

In September 2018, Ajinkya Rahane was named as the captain of Mumbai for the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy tournament.

October 2018: Named Captain of India C's Squad

In October 2018, Ajinkya Rahane was named as the captain of India C's squad for the 2018–19 Deodhar Trophy, leading the team to victory.

2018: Return to Playing Eleven

Despite an overseas average of 55, Ajinkya Rahane was initially not included in the playing eleven for the 1st and 2nd Test against South Africa in 2018. He was later brought back for the 3rd test, contributing crucially to India's victory.

April 2019: Joins Hampshire as overseas player

In April 2019, Ajinkya Rahane joined Hampshire as their overseas player for two months of the season.

November 2019: Transfer to Delhi Capitals

In November 2019, Ajinkya Rahane was transferred from Rajasthan Royals to Delhi Capitals ahead of the 2020 Indian Premier League.

November 2019: 21st Test Fifty

On November 15, 2019, in the first innings of the first test match against Bangladesh, Rahane hit 86 off 172 deliveries, crossing the boundary 9 times, and achieving his 21st test fifty in international cricket.

2019: Century against West Indies

In 2019, during a two-match series in West Indies, Ajinkya Rahane scored a century in the First Test, guiding India to victory.

February 2020: Series Against New Zealand

In February 2020, Ajinkya Rahane was selected in the Test eleven for a 2 match series against New Zealand, but his batting performance, like the rest of the team, was not up to the mark.

December 2020: Captaincy and Test Series Victory in Australia

In December 2020, Ajinkya Rahane was appointed captain of the Indian team for the final three matches of the tour of Australia, replacing Virat Kohli. He led India to a remarkable series win, including a victory at The Gabba after 32 years, and was praised for his captaincy.

2020: Border–Gavaskar Trophy Win

Under Ajinkya Rahane's captaincy, India won the 2020-21 Border–Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.

May 2021: ICC Test Batting Rankings

As of May 2021, Ajinkya Rahane ranks 27th in the ICC Test batting rankings with 612 points.

November 2021: Captaincy and Injury

In November 2021, Ajinkya Rahane captained India in the first Test against New Zealand. He was later dropped from the playing eleven due to a hamstring injury. Despite his poor form, he was selected for the South Africa tour which received criticism.

February 2022: Bought by Kolkata Knight Riders

In February 2022, Ajinkya Rahane was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the auction for the 2022 Indian Premier League tournament.

December 2022: Acquired by Chennai Super Kings

In December 2022, Ajinkya Rahane was bought by Chennai Super Kings for INR 50 Lakh in the IPL auction for the 2023 season.

2022: Ranji Trophy and Test Career

In 2022, despite a decent performance in the Ranji Trophy, Ajinkya Rahane was not selected for the home series against Sri Lanka, marking the fifth time he was benched in his Test career.

2023: Key Role in IPL Victory with CSK

In 2023, Ajinkya Rahane played a key role in Chennai Super Kings' IPL victory, batting at no.3 with a high strike rate and contributing crucial knocks.

2023: Victory in Ranaji Trophy

In the 2023-24 season, Ajinkya Rahane led the Mumbai team to victory in the Ranaji Trophy, defeating Vidarbha by 169 runs in the finals. Rahane's personal form remained poor in the tournament.