Former India batter Ajinkya Rahane revealed that legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar was the first one to call him when he announced his retirement. Notably, Rahane sent shockwaves across the cricket fraternity by pulling curtains down on his incredible career. The talismanic batter posted an emotional video, where he revealed his decision to call it quits on international and IPL career. However, following his retirement, Rahane joined the Amsterdam Flames for the inaugural season of the ETPL T20.
Recently, the former India Test skipper appeared in an interview with the Indian Express, where he revealed that Tendulkar, popularly called ‘Master Blaster’, was the first one to call him. Not only this, but the 38-year-old also said that Tendulkar told him that he thought Rahane would play longer. However, Rahane responded by saying that he didn’t want to carry on since he doesn’t have any regrets and has announced retirement after thinking. "The first call came from Sachin (Tendulkar) paaji, who said he thought I would play for longer. I told him I didn't want to drag on because I was retiring without any regrets,” Rahane said.
He went on to reveal that his former teammates including Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli reached out to him via messages. “Irfan Pathan also called, while Pujara, Virat, Rohit and Bumrah all messaged me. I told everyone the same thing: I was satisfied because I had given everything to the game," he added.
Didn’t expect the recording itself to affect me this much: Ajinkya Rahane makes emotional revelation
In his retirement message, Rahane couldn’t control his tears and broke down while making the official announcement. The former cricketer also reflected on it and said that he wasn’t expecting to get this affected by the video itself. Moreover, he also revealed crying after shooting the video. "After recording the video, I cried a lot. I was emotional while discussing retirement with my family, but I didn't expect the recording itself to affect me so much,” he stated.
“The reality hit that I would no longer do something I had loved for years. That thought stayed with me throughout the recording," he added. Notably, Rahane ended his career with 85 Test appearances, 90 ODIs and 20 T20Is. His most memorable leadership display came during India’s historic 2-1 win over Australia in the 2020-21 season.
