Ajinkya Rahane in press conference© BCCI/Sportzpics
Busy with the Kolkata Knight Riders’ Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign, skipper Ajinkya Rahane was taken aback when informed that his Mumbai mate Rohit Sharma has announced retirement from Test cricket. The decision from Rohit came as Rahane was preparing for KKR’s league clash against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Speaking to the media after the game, Rahane came to know of Rohit’s decision to quit, and the KKR skipper admitted being “shocked”. Rahane didn’t believe he was hearing such news and said that he would give Rohit a call once he was back in the dressing room.
“Oh, is it?” Rahane said when informed of Rohit’s Test retirement. “I didn’t know. I’m actually shocked. I was playing a game, so I wasn’t aware. But I just want to wish him the best.”
“He started in the middle order at No. 5 or 6 and then opened the innings. The way he adapted was amazing. He always looked to take on bowlers and play with freedom – that’s something he wanted others to do as well,” Rahane said.
“I’ll probably call him once I get back to the dressing room or send him a message,” Rahane added. “But I definitely want to congratulate him on a fantastic Test career.”
As for the match, Rahane’s KKR suffered a narrow defeat against CSK, especially after the way Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube orchestrated an extremely valuable partnership in the middle.
“It was really tough (pill to swallow and lose),” Rahane said after the match. “We were 10-15 short, 185-195 would have been an ideal total on this pitch.”
“Absolutely. In this format, one over can change the momentum. They (Brevis and Dube) took their chances, and it paid off. It’s all about being brave, and they were really brave.”
With the defeat, KKR’s playoffs qualification chances have also hit rock bottom. Though the team is still mathematically in the race, Rahane is only thinking about winning the remaining two games and then seeing what happens. “Try to win two out of two, and then see what happens from there,” he said.
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