Ajinkya Rahane, Team India vice-captain in Test cricket, became a father on Saturday after his wife Radhika Dhopavkar gave birth to a baby girl. He woke up to the heartwarming news in Visakhapatnam wherein he is playing the first Test of the three-match series against South Africa.
The 31-year-old Mumbaikar married his childhood friend Radhika in 2014. The two had met first in school and remained friends for quite some time before their parents met and arranged the marriage ceremony.
Rahane’s former India teammate Harbhajan Singh took to social media to congratulate the new father.
“Congratulations new daddy in town @ajinkyarahane88 hope Mum and lil princess ?? are doing well.. fun part of life starts now ajju. #fatherhood,” Harbhajan wrote on Twitter.
Congratulations new daddy in town @ajinkyarahane88 hope Mum and lil princess 👸 are doing well.. fun part of life starts now ajju. #fatherhood
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) October 5, 2019
Notably, Rahane is the latest Indian cricketer who has become a father of a baby girl. The likes of MS Dhoni, Ravichandran Ashwin, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan himself, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma are among the few who have a girl child.
Ajinkya has been one of the mainstays of the Indian Test team and made a spectacular comeback to form during the last month’s tour to the West Indies, where he smashed a hundred and two half-centuries in four innings.
The right-hander will have a major role to play in the ongoing game as well, as India aims to set a competitive target for the Proteas.
