Ajinkya Rahane, the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders, was caught off guard when he heard that his friend Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket. This news broke just as Rahane was getting ready for KKR’s match against the Chennai Super Kings. After the game, he expressed his surprise to reporters. He said, “Oh, is it? I didn’t know. I’m actually shocked. I was playing, so I wasn’t aware. But I just want to wish him the best.”
Rahane reminisced about Rohit’s impressive journey, noting how he started batting in the middle order and later became an opener, adjusting his game along the way. “He always wanted to take on the bowlers and play freely, which is what he encouraged others to do,” Rahane added. He plans to reach out to Rohit soon, either with a call or a message, to congratulate him on a great Test career.
Regarding the match, KKR lost a close one to CSK, largely due to a strong partnership between Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube. Rahane reflected on the loss, saying, “It was really tough to swallow. We were about 10-15 runs short; around 185-195 would have been ideal on this pitch.”
He acknowledged how quickly things can turn in this format: “One over can change everything. Brevis and Dube took their chances, and it worked out for them. Being brave is key, and they were really brave.” With this loss, KKR’s chances of making the playoffs are slim. Even though they’re still technically in the running, Rahane is focused on winning their last two games and will take it from there. “We’ll try to win both and see what happens,” he said.
