Batting great Sachin Tendulkar feels India stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane has his own way of showing aggression. Rahane is going to lead Team India in the remaining three Test matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia as Virat Kohli has been granted the paternity leave. Under Kohli’s leadership, India have played aggressive cricket in the past couple of years as they also beat Australia 2-1 during the 2018-19 tour. While Rahane is known for his calm and composed demeanour on the pitch which is slightly different from Kohli’s aggressive nature.
Tendulkar feels Rahane’s calmness shouldn’t be mistaken as the Master Blaster claims the Mumbaikar will be aggressive against Australia
“Ajinkya has led India earlier also, and his calmness doesn’t mean he is not aggressive. Each person has his way of showing aggression. Someone who doesn’t show aggression doesn’t mean he’s not aggressive. (Cheteshwar) Pujara, for example, is very calm and composed; his body language is into the game, focussed. But that doesn’t mean that Pujara is trying any less than anyone else,” Tendulkar told IANS in an exclusive interview.
Rahane has led India team twice in the Tests and holds a terrific 100 per cent win record, one of his victory as captain came against Australia in 2017.
Tendulkar further emphasized how every captain has a different approach towards the game but ultimately all of them have the same destination in mind, which is to win the game.
“Each person has his own way of reacting and responding to situations, but I can assure you everyone’s destination is one; they’ve different routes to get there — and that is how they can make India win. So, Ajinkya’s would be a different style, different strategies. That is up to the team management — how they plan, how the pitch plays, and what our batting and bowling line-ups would be,” he said.
Apart from Kohli, Team India will also miss the services of senior paceman Mohammed Shami, who sustained a wrist fracture during the first Test and has been ruled out of the Test series. Tendulkar admits that senior players absence affect the team’s balance but he also believes that it provides opportunities to someone else to step up to the occasion.
“All those things come into play. They will do everything to try and win. Absence of seniors does affect the balance of a team, but that gives opportunities to someone else. Overall, it is about Team India and not about individuals. Individuals can get injured and be ruled out of the series, but Team India will always be there,” added Tendulkar.
India lost the first Test to Australia by eight wickets in Adelaide, after Kohli’s team capitulated for 36 runs in the second innings — India’s lowest ever in Test history — as no batsman could muster a double-digit score.
Rahane is also going through a lean patch as he was dismissed on a duck in the second innings of Adelaide Test. He also had a tough time during the 2020 IPL, where he struggled to score big runs for Delhi Capitals.
Tendulkar backed Rahane to score big in the ongoing Test series and gave him a piece of valuable advice regarding the forward defence to succeed on Australian soil.
“He is an experienced player, has been around for a long time, travelled well, and scored runs abroad. It’s just a matter of spending time (at the crease), staying committed to what he wants to do. I feel he has that capability to soak in the pressure; he can,” said the batting maestro.
“The only thing I would like to see in his batting is a nice, solid front-foot defence, with a good stride forward. That applies to more or less all players; there are no exceptions. When you travel abroad and your front foot is forward and you are defending the ball well, then everything else falls in place. Forward defence is like a jigsaw puzzle; if you don’t sort it out at the start the rest will never follow. If the forward defence is not there, bowlers will always smell opportunity,” he explained.
