Ajinkya Rahane – The captain who fought in the face of adversity
Until a month ago, Ajinkya Rahane was just someone who was a great deputy to Virat Kohli and a solid middle-order batsman. But, the Australian tour has made everyone see Rahane in a different view. He is not just a batsman anymore, he is a leader. He is a fierce competitor with a heart of steel.
As coach Ravi Shastri rightly said after the series win, “He looks cool and calm on the outside, but from the inside, he is a true fighter.”
Ajinkya, who started playing for India in 2011, made his Test debut in 2013. Though his debut didn’t go according to the plan, he compensated for that with a score of 96 in South Africa and centuries in New Zealand, England and Australia. Soon, we were seeing why he was rated so highly in the domestic circuit. As time flew, he showed everyone that he is capable of playing some crucial knocks for India in the situation of crunch.
In Australia, India was facing a difficult situation after the horror batting display in the first Test. After 36 all-out, the last thing they needed was their captain and presumably the best batsman in the world, walking out of the side. But when it happened, someone needed to step up and make a statement. And there was Ajinkya Rahane showing his class at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
This one is right up there!
Ajinkya Rahane gets his name engraved on the MCG Honours Board for the second time.
Video: BCCIpic.twitter.com/GrzLc2DvXx
— The Field (@thefield_in) December 30, 2020
As a captain, India needed Rahane to do what he has been doing as a batsman for years now, stepping up when things go wrong. And Ajinkya delivered. His knock of 112 runs in the second Test was a statement in itself. It reassured India that the batsmanship is still in good hands. Rahane knew someone had to stand up and as a skipper, he took it on himself. The attitude got rubbed off on other players, who batted around him.
If you needed to explain to someone what is a captain’s knock, the setting of Rahane’s century in the MCG Test, is enough. Then, he leads a young bunch of players to victories and results, no one would have predicted. It is his ability to maintain calmness even in tough situations which makes him a great leader, something which his Australian counterpart can’t say for himself.
Bruised. Broken. But never short of character. Really happy with how the boys fought till the end. Lots to learn and improve as we look forward to Brisbane now. pic.twitter.com/4VBZGCvbnp
— Ajinkya Rahane (@ajinkyarahane88) January 11, 2021
Before we leave you, we would like to remind you about another time, when he stood up to the task. In the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2016-17, Kohli had to miss the series decider due to an injury. Rahane was there too and he had taken the series from Australia then too. He will go down as one of the most inspirational captains in Indian cricket, even if he does not get to lead this team for even one more time. He has an unbeaten record as a captain, something which he would love to live with and cherish. Let’s take a moment to applaud Ajinkya for standing up when it mattered the most.
