Ajinkya Rahane retired from all formats on Thursday, bringing the curtains down on a distinguished Test career in particular. His overseas Test average of 39.91 over a decade-long career isn't too far behind Virat Kohli's 41.12. Here's a look back at some of Rahane's greatest hits in Test cricket.
Masterminding a Melbourne turnaround: 112 vs Australia, 2nd Test, Melbourne 2020
India had just folded for 36, their lowest-ever total in Test cricket, in the series-opening pink-ball Test in Adelaide. They entered Melbourne without their then regular captain Virat Kohli, who had returned home on paternal leave, and Mohammed Shami, who was sidelined from the rest of the tour with a forearm fracture. Midway through the Boxing Day Test, India lost Umesh Yadav to injury too. Against this backdrop, Rahane took over as captain and also led the way with the bat, producing a stirring turnaround.
When Rahane walked out to bat, India were 61 for 2, and he watched them slump further to 64 for 3 in response to Australia's first-innings 195. He had an uncharacteristically slow start and refrained himself from going searching for an early boundary. Rahane continued to trust his defence against Australia's big three - Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood - before opening up against the older ball and bringing up a memorable hundred. He wore the 36 all out like a badge, and inspired his team-mates to do so as well.
Another Melbourne special: 147 vs Australia, 3rd Test, Melbourne 2014
During the 2013-14 Boxing Day Ashes Test, Mitchell Johnson harried England's batters with pace and bounce, whipping up one of the most fearsome spells by a fast bowler in modern Test cricket. A year on, when Johnson tried to intimidate Rahane at the same venue, the batter took him on and hooked him to oblivion. Rahane also used the pace and bounce of Ryan Harris and Hazlewood to his advantage, unleashing full-blooded pull shots off them as well. His upper-cuts and ramps also turned one of the Australia attack's major strengths into a weakness. Rahane galloped to a hundred off 127 balls, and along with fellow centurion Kohli, he provided a peek into the future of India's Test batting.
Rahane puts his name on the Lord's honours board: 103 vs England, 2nd Test vs England, London 2014
Another back-to-the-wall effort, this one on a Lord's greentop against James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who were arguably at their peak back then. Rahane came in when India were reduced to 86 for 3, and despite wickets tumbling around him, he rallied India to 295 along with the tail. Rahane's knock was central to India staying in touch with England with the bat before Ishant Sharma pulled them ahead with the ball and eventually bowled them to victory.
Rahane had a sketchy start - he edged his first ball, was beaten second ball, and got away with another edge third ball - but he found a way past it and bedded in with some crisp drives and punches. By the time Rahane was set, he even launched Anderson over the wide long-on boundary. He trusted Bhuvneshwar Kumar's defensive skills and forged a 90-run partnership for the eighth wicket to bail India out. It needed a special return catch from Anderson to stop Rahane on 103.
Rahane arrives on the big stage: 51* and 96 vs South Africa, 2nd Test, Durban 2013
In India's first Test series after Tendulkar retired, Rahane slotted into No. 6, with Kohli moving up to No. 4. He started fairly well with 47 in the first Test in Johannesburg but fell to a lazy prod off JP Duminy's part-time spin in India's second innings. Rahane's composure then came to the fore in the second Test on a spicy Durban pitch. He was struck on the helmet by Dale Steyn early doors, but shook that - and many other body blows - off to help drag India's first-innings total to 334.
Rahane was even more fluent against Steyn, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander and Robin Peterson in India's second innings, and took calculated risks with the tail. He fell agonisingly short of a hundred, but he finally made the step up from a spare batter to a dependable middle-order batter, which became his calling card.
Double delight: 127 and 100* vs South Africa, 4th Test, Delhi 2015
Returning to the scene of his forgettable Test debut, Rahane made happy memories this time, becoming only the fifth Indian batter to record hundreds in each innings of a Test. Rahane usually enjoys pace and bounce on the ball, but in Delhi, he showed that he could cut it against spin as well, countering Imran Tahir and Dane Piedt with a variety of shots, including the sweep, in both innings. He even took some aggressive trips down the pitch to pump spin down the ground. India were 139 for 6 at one point in their first innings, but Rahane rescued them to 334.
In India's second innings, Rahane was more circumspect after they had lost four quick wickets, but he soon ventured out to play his shots, setting up India's victory push with another ton.