India’s former Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is well known for his astute captaincy. Rahane is known to be calm and composed on the field and delivered as a Test captain in the absence of Virat Kohli.
The veteran was at the helm of captaincy duties when Virat Kohli returned back to India on the tour of Australia for the 2020-21 series.
India was under immense pressure as they were bowled out for a paltry score of 36 runs in the second innings of Adelaida and suffered an ignominious defeat. Furthermore, they were without the services of their full-time captain Virat Kohli and gun fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who suffered from a fractured arm.
Rahane led from the front in the second Test match at MCG as he scored a fine knock of 112 runs in the first innings to set the game. The visitors were able to draw the Sydney Test and then pulled a rabbit out of the hat at the Gabba, Brisbane. India went on to stun Australia by 2-1 despite not having a full-strength team and Rahane played a key role as a leader.
Rahane said he took some crucial decisions as a leader in the memorable series win but he feels someone else took the credit.
“I know what I did there. I don’t need to say this to anybody. And that’s not my nature that I will go and take credit. Yes, there were a few things, for which I made the decisions on the field and dressing room but somebody else too the credit. What was important for me was that we won the series and that was a historical series. For me, that was really special,” Rahane told veteran sports journalist Boria Majumdar on his show ‘Backstage with Boria’.
“The reactions that came later, or the credit that was taken, or whatever was spoken or emerged on the media… things like ‘We did this. It was our decision. It was our call,’. It’s what they had to say but from my end, I knew what decisions I took. We also spoke to the management but inside me, I would laugh knowing the modestly which I had shown and what followed,” he added.
Ajinkya Rahane is well known to play the game in the right spirit and he is not someone who will boast highly of his records. However, Rahane hasn’t been able to deliver consistently as a batter in the last two years.
Rahane has all the experience under his belt but he would need to once again prove his mettle in Ranji Trophy while playing for Mumbai under the leadership of Prithvi Shaw. Ranji Trophy will begin on February 17.
