Ajinkya Rahane Has No Regrets. Now Comes the Next Innings

Steve Waugh called within minutes.

Ajinkya Rahane had barely announced his retirement from international cricket when the Australian great was on the phone. The timing could not have been more symbolic. One chapter had just ended. Another was already knocking.

Rahane did not say yes immediately. "I told him, 'Just give me a day to think about this,'" he recalls.

Twenty-four hours later, he had his answer.

The former India vice-captain has signed as the marquee player for Amsterdam Flames in the inaugural European T20 Premier League (ETPL), Europe's first ICC-sanctioned T20 league. But for Rahane, the move is about far more than extending his playing career. It is about taking nearly 15 years of international experience beyond Indian cricket and sharing it with the next generation.

"It is a great opportunity for me to be part of the ETPL. Everyone knows I have announced my retirement and within, I think, just five minutes, Steve Waugh called me," Rahane told ANI.

For a cricketer who grew up watching Waugh's fearless leadership, the call carried special significance.

"I grew up watching him, his game and his leadership style. I admired him every single time. So, when he called me about this opportunity, I was obviously in a different mindset because I had just announced my retirement."

After sleeping over the offer, Rahane realised the opportunity aligned perfectly with what he wanted from the next phase of his life.

"I've played for India for almost 15 years and the IPL since the beginning. With the amount of experience I have, this is a great opportunity for me to go global. I want to share my experience and my knowledge about the game. I did not want to keep it in a smaller way."

The decision felt natural because Rahane had already made peace with another, much harder one.

For nearly a month before announcing his retirement, he says he asked himself the same question every single day.

Did he have any regrets? The answer never changed. "I am very happy with my decision. Every single day I was questioning myself: 'Are there any regrets? Are there any things I wanted to have done differently?' But the answer I got was no regrets at all."

"I did everything as a player. Whatever things I had in my control, probably more than that, I gave my 200 per cent every single time."

He smiles while talking about it. There is no bitterness. No lingering disappointment. Only gratitude. "No regrets at all. I don't want to look back and probably say, 'Okay, I miss that thing.' I think I have achieved everything. I am really happy with the career I had. If you have given everything and are happy at the end of your career, I think that is the best feeling."

Few Indian cricketers have built a legacy quite like Rahane's.

He was never the loudest voice in the dressing room. Nor the biggest celebrity of his generation. But when Indian cricket found itself staring into its darkest Test moment after being bowled out for 36 in Adelaide during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it was Rahane who quietly took charge.

His century in Melbourne revived the series. His calm leadership inspired an injury-ravaged Indian side to script one of the greatest Test triumphs of all time at the Gabba, ending Australia's 32-year unbeaten streak at the venue.

Rahane walks away with 8,414 international runs, 15 centuries and an undefeated record as India's Test captain, having won four of his six matches in charge.

Yet, for him, the numbers are no longer the point. The experience is.

And he believes it should not remain locked inside him. "I don't want to keep my experience in a smaller circle. I want to share my experience globally. Whichever league I play, I want to share my knowledge and my experience."

That, he says, naturally opens the door to coaching and mentorship.

"I think apart from playing, I will be very good as a mentor and also as a coach because I understand the mentality of players. I have been through every situation and every possible condition as a player. That experience helps you a lot."

His immediate focus, however, remains playing.

"I am still passionate about cricket. I still want to play the sport and contribute." Europe, he believes, offers cricket its next great growth story.

For too long, conversations around European cricket have revolved almost exclusively around England. Rahane thinks that is changing rapidly.

He points to Ireland's recent T20I series victory over India, the Netherlands' impressive performances in ICC events, and Italy's emergence on the global stage as signs that the continent's cricket ecosystem is beginning to mature. "Whenever I have played against Ireland and the Netherlands, they have always looked like a different unit in a positive way. They are always hungry to win, always hungry to learn and very passionate about the game."

The ETPL, he believes, could become a launchpad for players dreaming of the IPL. "This is a great platform for all the European players to showcase their talent. You never know when the door will open. IPL owners and scouts are always watching. One opportunity can change everything."

Exposure, he insists, changes players as much as talent does.

"When you get exposure, you become really confident. Even if you do not do well, just getting that opportunity gives you belief that you belong at that level."

Rahane acknowledges that franchise cricket is evolving faster than ever before, creating opportunities that did not exist when he began his own career nearly two decades ago. "T20 is growing really fast. The opportunities for players are immense. My responsibility is to contribute in a bigger way, to share my knowledge and experience and create an impact."

International cricket may now belong to Rahane's past. But the game itself does not. The quiet man who once led India through one of its greatest Test triumphs believes he still has plenty to offer. Not through headlines. But through experience.

And if his career taught him anything, it is that the most meaningful innings are not always the loudest. Sometimes, they begin only after everyone thinks the story is over.

(With inputs from ANI)