Fired for a record score of 36 in his second inning on the Missing Pink Ball Test in Adelaide, India entered the successful MCG Test with Kohli, who is on paternity leave.
But Rahane’s team showed resistance to bounce back, prompting a remarkable turnaround to level the four-game series 1-1.
“Going bowling for 36 was never easy. We are quite a proud cricket country and losing Virat was a little setback,” the star-off-spinner told 7 cricket.
“… but we held up really well. Jinks’s calm in the locker room really gave us that stability to come out and express ourselves in this game.”
Trailing 0-1, India received an additional setback after fierce pacemaker Mohammed Shami was ruled out due to a broken bowling arm.
But Rahane’s audacious captaincy stood out from day one when he pressured Ashwin in the 11th with the ball still fresh, possibly to use the off-set player’s psychological advantage over the Australian hitters in the pink ball test.
It turned out to be a tactical masterstroke for Rahane, as Ashwin fired Matthew Wade and India’s ‘nemesis’ Steve Smith for the second time in a row in his first spell, as Australia were eliminated for 195 in their first innings.
“Coming to Australia and if you can’t get Steven Smith out, it will always be a difficult task,” the 34-year-old said of Smith’s firing.
“Getting him out early is something we’ve always worked on. We put together plans and when those plans come together it’s a pleasure,” said Ashwin, who returned with a five-wicket tour.
Skipper Rahane, who was named Man of the Match, also set an example by scoring a century that gave India a 131-run cushion in the first inning.
“Jinks, Puji and Jassi, we have a great bond within the team,” Ashwin said.
India closed Australia’s second inning for 200 in the extended opening session to set itself an easy target of 70 runs that tourists easily chased.
.
