NEW DELHI: Former Indian captain Ajinkya Rahane announced his retirement from international cricket.Rahane shared the news through an Instagram post, where he uploaded a video message with a caption. “Signing of Cap 278”.“Thank you for all the love and support over the years. Forever grateful,” Rahane wrote in his post. “The reality of life is that everything has a beginning and everything has an end. When the time comes, you have to respect it and move on. I have always relied on the timing of my batting and I have always understood the importance of it,” Rahane said.“Now, I feel the time is right for me to go ahead and announce my retirement from international cricket and all formats. From those early days, traveling as a young man just to practice, I gave this sport everything I had. Every day, every innings, every time I take the bat, the dream is always to wear the Indian cap,” he added.“I live by one simple rule. Always put my country and my team before myself. I play this game with complete honesty and I always believe that if your aim is right, the game will always take care of you,” said the veteran cricketer.“Since the time I made my debut as a first-class cricketer, Indian cricket has grown tremendously and I feel proud to have been a part of it for the past 20 years. While my chapter as an Indian cricketer has come to an end, my journey with the game has not. I am excited to help the next generation, to share the values of this game which has given me back everything this game has taught me,” he said given I have everything in this game.Rahane also thanked BCCI, Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), his teammates, coaches, IPL franchise, family, friends and fans for their support throughout his career.“And a very special thank you to all the cricket fans who have supported me through every high and low. Ajinkya means never losing, but cricket has shown me defeat many times. As cricketers, we fail more often than we succeed. My team loses matches. I make mistakes, but there is one place where I don’t lose. And that is in your hearts. Rahane concludedThe 36-year-old has represented India in all three formats during his international career. He played 85 Test matches, 90 ODIs and 20 T20Is. Rahane, who made his international debut in 2011, was part of India’s historic Test series win over Australia in 2020-21, where he led the team as captain in the absence of Virat Kohli.