Recently retired Ajinkya Rahane has named Sachin Tendulkar as the greatest Indian cricketer of all time, praising him for his domination across eras.
Tendulkar remains the most prolific batter in international
cricket, having amassed 34,357 runs across Tests and ODIs. He holds the record for the most centuries in both formats and is the only player to have featured in 200 Test matches. Overall, the former India captain scored 15,921 Test runs at an average of 53.78, including 51 centuries, while his ODI career yielded 18,426 runs and 49 hundreds.
Asked about his pick during a podcast, Rahane said, “I think it’s very hard to take one name but… probably Sachin Tendulkar. I think all the eras.”
Hailing from Mumbai, Rahane would have had a special admiration for Tendulkar, who became the face of the city’s cricket for a quarter of a century.
Rahane keen to continue contributing after retirement
While Rahane has stepped away from top-flight cricket, retirement has not diminished his desire to remain involved in the game. The 38-year-old said he still wants to play for several more years and is keeping himself fit to extend his playing career, starting with joining the Amsterdam Flames in the inaugural European T20 Premier League (ETPL) season.
“I still have a few years. I still want to play cricket. I don’t want to put any number, but I can still play cricket for, you know, how much a year I want because I try to keep myself really fit and that’s what I have learned over the years. It helps you a lot,” he said, as quoted by PTI.
He added that his own experiences have given him an understanding of how players react to pressure, different situations and conditions.
“I understand individual players really well. What happens in their mind on and off the field? What do they think? How do they react to certain situations and conditions? Because personally, I have seen all those moments. I have seen all those situations.”
