India’s alternate captain Ajinkya Rahane has been receiving praise from fans and cricket experts since India defeated Australia under his leadership in Melbourne. He led the visitors to an eight-wicket victory at the Boxing Day Test, ignoring memories of Adelaide’s horror.
A brilliant change from India in the ongoing series has impressed former Australian captain Ian Chappell. In his latest column on ESPN Cricinfo, Chappell praised Rahane’s captaincy and called him a man “born to lead cricket teams.”
“It was no surprise that Ajinkya Rahane captained India smoothly at MCG; anyone who saw him in charge in Dharamsala in 2017 would have recognized a man born to lead cricket teams, ”Chappell wrote in his column.
“There were a lot of similarities between that 2017 game and the MCG game. First, it was between the same two highly competitive rivals, then there was the valuable lower-order contribution in the early innings of Ravindra Jadeja, and finally Rahane aggressively racked up the necessary runs in a nervous quest for a moderate win total, ”he added. Chappell.
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Chappell recalled the Dharmshala test in 2017 when Rahane took over the leadership role after Kohli injured his shoulder. The Chinese Kuldeep Yadav made his debut in that game and stood out with a five-field course.
“The moment that caught my eye in the Dharamsala match was the moment when Rahane called out rookie Kuldeep Yadav, who was turning the wrist on his left arm, when David Warner and Steve Smith were involved in a century-long partnership. “This is a brave move,” I thought, and it turned out to be very smart. Yadav quickly reclaimed Warner’s wicket, expertly caught by Rahane in the first slide, and this caused a five-wicket slide, ”Chappell wrote.
Chappell further explained how the substitute captain has been dealing with situations on the field with a calm demeanor and has also earned the respect of his teammates.
“That’s part of Rahane’s success as a skipper – he’s brave and smart. However, there is much more to your leadership than just those two important qualities. He is calm when things can easily get out of hand. He has earned the respect of his teammates, one of the most important aspects of a good captaincy. And he gets races when they are needed, which increases the respect that his team has for him, ”he added.
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The former Australian captain believes the series is not over yet, but the tourists have fewer selection headaches than the hosts.
“This tantalizing series is far from over. India still has concerns about another fast bowling injury and a starting hitter in a quandary. Yet despite emerging from a disastrous meltdown in Adelaide, coupled with the departure of its best hitter and the loss of two leading fast pitchers, India has fewer selection problems than Australia. It helps that they have a strong and calm leader and a vibrant spirit that has been built under the Kohli-Rahane-Ravi Shastri coalition. If India continues to repeat the success of its last tour in Australia, the Mullagh medal will not be the only gong that Rahane receives ”, concluded Chappell.
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