Ajinkya Rahane, India’s stand-in captain for the ongoing Test series in Australia, has impressed one and all with his stellar show in the second Test match against Australia. Rahane’s match-winning performance at the MCG helped India to an eight-wicket and a series-leveling victory. Among many, former Australian skipper Ian Chappell is very impressed with the leadership skills of Ajinkya Rahane.
Praising Rahane, Chappell termed him as brave, smart, and someone born to lead cricket teams. In his latest column, Chappell stated that he wasn’t surprised with the way Rahane has led team India to victory at MCG against all odds. He wrote:
“Anyone who saw him in charge in Dharamsala in 2017 would have recognised a man born to lead cricket teams. There were a lot of similarities between that 2017 match and the one at the MCG. There was the valuable first-innings lower-order contribution from Ravindra Jadeja, and finally Rahane aggressively accumulating the required runs in a nervy pursuit of a moderate victory total.”
Ian Chappell also praised how Rahane decided to bring on spinner Kuldeep Yadav even after David Warner and Steve Smith built a century partnership. He wrote:
‘This is a brave move,’ I thought, and it turned out to be a very smart one. Yadav quickly claimed the wicket of Warner – expertly caught by Rahane at first slip – and this prompted a five-wicket slide. That’s part of Rahane’s success as a skipper: he’s brave and smart.”
Furthermore, in his column, Ian Chappell showered praises on Rahane’s captaincy and his qualities. He wrote:
“He is calm when things could easily get out of hand. He has earned the respect of his team-mates, one of the most important aspects of good captaincy. And he gets runs when they are needed, which adds to the respect his team has for him.”
He also praised Bumrah and Ashwin, whose bowling efforts on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test set up the victory for team India. He wrote:
“There was Jasprit Bumrah, excelling as usual at the MCG, ambushing batsmen regularly. R Ashwin, with his new-found confidence in Australian conditions, exerted his influence over Smith, a vital early wicket that further boosted India’s confidence. Inspired by the seniors, the debutants, Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj, made significant contributions as they adjusted quickly to Australian conditions.”
