Former India opener Aakash Chopra has taken a sharp look at Virat Kohli’s long-standing preference for spin-friendly, rank-turning pitches while breaking down Ajinkya Rahane’s batting style after the veteran retires from international cricket on Thursday, July 30. Rahane’s decision to call time on his India career has sparked plenty of reflection, and Chopra used the moment to explain why the Mumbai batter was often at his best in very different conditions from those usually associated with home cricket.

A day after Rahane’s retirement, Chopra uploaded a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra, where he described Rahane as a cricketer whose value went far beyond runs and averages. According to the former India batter, Rahane was never simply a numbers player. Instead, he was someone who offered balance, stability and class to the Indian Test team over a long period.

Rahane played most of his Test cricket under Kohli’s captaincy. Between 2014 and 2022, the right-hander featured in 63 Test matches during Kohli’s reign, becoming one of the most trusted batters in India’s red-ball setup. Chopra’s analysis focused on how Rahane’s technique and temperament made him a better fit for seaming and bouncing tracks rather than slow, turning surfaces.

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The numbers support that view. Rahane’s batting average in away Tests stood at 39.43 across 90 innings, which was higher than his home average of 35.73 in 50 innings. For a batter from the subcontinent, that is unusual. In most cases, Indian players tend to compile stronger numbers at home, but Rahane often flourished in overseas conditions, especially in the SENA countries — South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia.

Chopra explained that Rahane was not a power-hitter who relied on brute force. Instead, he was a touch player who used pace and bounce well, making him especially effective when the ball came on nicely to the bat. In his view, that was exactly the kind of batting that thrived in overseas conditions but did not always get the same reward on spin-heavy Indian wickets.

“He was never a power player. He was always a touch player. In Indian conditions, where the ball gets old, aggressive hitters were required. These were not those types of players, so that did not suit them. For a long time, during Virat’s captaincy, we were playing on pitches where runs were not scored easily,” Aakash Chopra said.

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“We were just producing rank turners after rank turners, so that was of no benefit. His game… did not suit those conditions; seaming, swinging ball coming onto the bat… that is what Ajinkya Rahane is, or rather, that brought out the best in Ajinkya Rahane,” he added.

For Chopra, Rahane’s career is a reminder that impact in Test cricket is not always reflected by headline numbers alone. In the right conditions, with the ball doing enough, Rahane often looked every bit the elite batter India needed.