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Happy Birthday Ajinkya Rahane: He has played 85 Tests for India and scored 5,077 runs at an average of 38.56 with 12 hundreds and 26 half-centuries.
Happy Birthday Ajinkya Rahane: The cricketer turns 36 on June 6, 2025. (Image: Instagram/@ajinkyarahane)
Happy Birthday, Ajinkya Rahane: One of the most elegant strokemakers of the modern age, veteran India cricketer Ajinkya Rahane celebrates his 36th birthday on Friday, June 6. A classy right-hander from Mumbai, Rahane has been a gem for India with his calming influence and match-winning impact in Test cricket.
Made of grit and resilience, Rahane has played a critical role in the middle-order for India’s most famous victories in Tests and etched his legacy with remarkable feats as a stand-in captain, including the memorable 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph in Australia.
Why The Nickname ‘Jinx?’
A thorough gentleman, Rahane has played cricket with great integrity and is widely respected by his teammates and opponents. But the cricketer is curiously nicknamed ‘Jinx’ by his peers. It was the tag given to Rahane by spin legend and former Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne, who struggled to pronounce the Mumbaikar’s real name during his time with the franchise. The nickname has since been attached to Rahane.
Ajinkya Rahane’s Career Stats
Rahane has played 85 Tests for India and scored 5,077 runs at an average of 38.56 with 12 hundreds and 26 half-centuries, playing a critical role in the lower middle order to bail the Indian side out of many difficult situations and help the team win. He has also represented the country in 90 ODIs with 2,962 runs, including 3 centuries and 24 fifties while featuring in 20 T20Is and batting at a strike rate of 113.29.
Ajinkya Rahane’s Top 5 Knocks In IPL 2025
After being released by Chennai Super Kings, Ajinkya Rahane was appointed the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2025. An evolving power hitter, Rahane amassed 390 runs in 12 innings for the three-time champions at a strike rate of 147.72. Here are the top 5 knocks the fluent striker played for KKR.
- 61 vs Lucknow Super Giants: Rahane’s best knock of the tournament arrived against Lucknow Super Giants. In a high-scoring game, the KKR skipper blasted 61 off 35 deliveries with 8 fours and 2 sixes, top-scoring for the Knight Riders who suffered a painstaking loss by 4 runs chasing LSG’s daunting 238/3.
- 56 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rahane initiated his KKR stint with a magnificent innings of 56 from 31 deliveries in the tournament opener against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Walking in at No.3, the newly-appointed skipper led from the front with a valiant half-century, taking KKR to a challenging 174/8. Unfortunately for Rahane, his bowlers failed to give a befitting account of themselves as KKR lost by 7 wickets.
- 50 vs Gujarat Titans: The KKR skipper continued his love affair with Eden Gardens via a third half-century of the season at the iconic venue against the Gujarat Titans. Chasing a mammoth target of 199, KKR stuttered badly, losing wickets at regular intervals. Only Rahane stood tall among their batters with a knock of 50 off 36 balls, including 5 fours and 1 six. Rahane’s innings provided respectability to an otherwise embarrassing KKR scorecard as they finished with 159/8.
- 48 vs Chennai Super Kings: Taking on his former franchise Super Kings, Rahane smashed 48 off 33 deliveries after arriving one-down for the Knight Riders. The captain’s knock featured 4 fours and 2 sixes as he gave early impetus to KKR, allowing them to reach 179/6. Knight Riders’ inconsistent attack lost the game despite a good target to defend.
- 38 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: Rahane’s counterattacking 38 off 27 deliveries against the Sunrisers Hyderabad allowed KKR to recover from the early loss of their openers Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine. He hit four sixes during a critical cameo, laying the foundation for Knight Riders’ middle-order to eventually take the team to 200/6 as KKR came out triumphant by 80 runs.
Bhaswati Sengupta is a Sub-Editor at News18, where she works closely with the Web Stories and Photo Gallery team to create visually engaging and impactful digital content. She also contributes to Lifestyle sect…Read More
Bhaswati Sengupta is a Sub-Editor at News18, where she works closely with the Web Stories and Photo Gallery team to create visually engaging and impactful digital content. She also contributes to Lifestyle sect… Read More
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