Team India was almost written off after the horrendous batting debacle in Adelaide. After that humiliating 8-wicket loss, many experts were of the opinion that the tourists won’t have any chance to rebound in the series, especially in the absence of Virat Kohli. But Ajinkya Rahane’s brilliance completely changed the plot.
The stand-in skipper led India to a series-levelling win in the Boxing Day Test and scored a match-winning hundred against Australia. Hailing his leadership skills, former Indian cricketer Deep Dasgupta said he knew that Rahane will be successful in taking charge of the team.
“I knew he could do it, there’s no two ways. And it’s not just about him, there are other leaders as well. I have been an Ajinkya fan not both of his international debuts but from his first-class days because you could see someone special there,” Dasgupta told Sports Today.
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Dasgupta also spoke about the Rahane’s composure on the field. The former cricketer stated that the Rahane’s is equally aggressive as Virat Kohli but he chooses to remain calm.
“He might be quiet but that doesn’t mean he isn’t aggressive. He might be less expressive than someone like Virat, but he is equally aggressive, equally attacking, the way he thinks and handles himself. It’s just that he keeps quiet. But I have seen him leading us well. We all have seen him leading India before,” Dasgupta said.
Deep Dasgupta recalled Rahane’s stint as a captain in the Dharmshala Test against Australian in 2017, stating that the latter led the side with an aggressive mindset.
“We all remember how he led the team in Dharmshala. He was attacking in his mindset; his bowling changes were attacking. His team, again, was very attacking. So, I think, if you look back and see… you will get hints that he is someone who is very, very aggressive in his mindset. Obviously, his batting tells you that… the way he bats, counter-attacking more often when India is not in trouble,” Dasgupta said.
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“The former cricketer also credited Rahane for keeping the players together in the act of winning the second Test against Australia.
“I didn’t really have any doubt that he can get this team together. Also, credit to the other leaders who all stood up – starting from Pujara to Ashwin to Bumrah, and Rahane got all of them together.
“When India were bowling, the bowling captain seemed to be someone else. It wasn’t Ajinkya running up to the bowlers all the time. It was Ashwin or Bumrah speaking to other bowlers; Ashwin predominantly.
“So, you got everyone involved in it and that is so important. Under crisis you have to get everyone involved and make everyone a stakeholder,” Dasgupta concluded.
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