Updated: December 26, 2020 6:32:14 pm
As India took Boxing Day honors at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy was highlighted. From the way he used Ravichandran Ashwin to summon a team group, the calm on the field, and the long stretches for the bowlers, his leadership style was in stark contrast to Virat Kohli’s.
Ashwin as first change
Rahane introduced Ashwin in the eleventh. Despite a southpaw in the crease, it was a gutsy decision, with the ball still fairly new. Ashwin is comfortable bowling with the new ball and the reason Rahane brought the spinning wheel was that he wanted to use the moisture from the surface. Also, after a fantastic outing in Adelaide, Ashwin had the psychological advantage over the Australian hitters.
Rahane’s decision turned out to be a tactical masterstroke. Ashwin bagged Matthew Wade and Steve Smith in his first spell.
Ravichandran Ashwin of India, center, celebrates with teammate Ajinkya Rahane, right, after seeing off Australian Tim Paine during the game on the first day of the Boxing Day cricket test between India and Australia in the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday, December 26. 2020. (AP Photo)
Compare this to the way Kohli had handled Ashwin in Adelaide. The trade was the fourth pitcher to pitch in the first inning in which he took 4/55. In the second, he was taken on the attack in the twelfth, but Kohli generally doesn’t use Ashwin up front in test matches outside the subcontinent.
Snuggle with a difference
On Saturday, when the Indian players entered the field at the beginning of a session and gathered for the group of teams, it turned out to be a little different. The group had many more voices. After Rahane’s short speech, an animated Ashwin was seen addressing the team. The Indian team huddled under Kohli is a bit one-dimensional, where primarily the patron is the keynote speaker.
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Long spells
Rahane started with five overs from Jasprit Bumrah and six from Umesh Yadav. Then, they brought Bumrah in for another spell of three more. Ashwin, meanwhile, scored 12 overs on his first spell. Siraj received six in his first spell. Kohli, by contrast, resorts to shorter spells for bowlers, sometimes even one at a time, especially when the wickets are not falling.
Keep calm
Tim Paine survived a very marginal outing, a shot by Umesh Yadav at the end of the striker, on the last ball of the 55th pass. Whether his bat had crossed the batting area or was on the line had been the interpretation of the television umpire. The replays were inconclusive and the Australian captain was declared a no-out. It could have been a very crucial wicket during an important step in the game as Paine’s 73 in the early innings in Adelaide proved decisive. Even Shane Warne was not convinced by the third referee’s decision. “Very surprised Tim Paine survived that sold out review! He had it on his bike and I thought there was no part of his bat behind the line! In my opinion, it should have come out, ”he tweeted. The brushing of the green was not like India, but Rahane’s calm did not allow his team to worry about it. Most likely, Kohli would have reacted very differently.
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