Ajinkya Rahane brought the curtain down on a distinguished career on Thursday as the former Rajasthan Royals captain announced his retirement from all formats of international cricket.

Rahane, who has also captained the Indian cricket team in the past, announced his decision via a video statement on social media.

"The reality of life is that everything has a beginning and everything has an end. When the time comes, we simply have to respect it and move forward,” Rahane said.

“I have always relied on timing in my batting and I have always understood its importance. Today, I feel the timing is right for me to move on and announce my retirement from international cricket and all formats.”

On the international stage, Rahane represented India across all three formats, scoring 5077 runs in 85 Tests, 2962 runs in 90 ODIs and 375 runs in 20 T20Is.

The former Rajasthan Royals batter has also played 212 IPL matches for six different franchises. Almost half of these have been in the Royals’ pink.

Never miss an update on Rajasthan Royals - get the latest articles, news, and more by clicking here!

Across 100 IPL matches for the Royals, the right-hander piled up 2810 runs, including 17 fifties and two unbeaten hundreds. Only Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler have scored more while representing the inaugural IPL champions.

Jinks was also RR's most-capped player before Samson eventually surpassed him.

Rahane made his Royals debut in 2011 before nailing down the first-choice opener's slot a year later.

His breakthrough 2012 campaign saw him score 560 runs - the best returns in a single season for the Royals at the time - and score his maiden IPL century against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Rahane scored four fifties in 2013 to help the Royals reach the playoffs.

In 2015, the stylish batter amassed 540 runs to finish as the tournament's second-highest run-scorer - just 22 adrift of Orange Cap winner David Warner - steering the side into the playoffs once again.

Handed the team’s captaincy in 2018, Rahane led Rajasthan to the playoffs in his first season in charge. The following year brought his second IPL hundred - an unbeaten 105 against Delhi Capitals - as he wrapped up the campaign with 393 runs.

By the time he left Jaipur in 2019, Rahane had already built a legacy that ranks him among the most influential players in Rajasthan Royals' history.