After the demoralising collapse of 36 all out in the first Test of the 2021 series Down Under, it was Ajinkya along with Ravi Shastri who picked the team from the dumps. He took over a ship that was ready to sink and not only sailed it into calmer waters but also gave India a first win at Australia’s fortress ‘The Gabba’

Ajinkya Rahane's retirement also marked the end of the Indian side's iconic slip cordon, which, apart from Rahane, had the likes of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Rohit Sharma