Aggression on a cricket field is not always about saying nasty things or forceful body language
Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane
Pune: Aggression on a cricket field is not always about saying nasty things or forceful body language. India's stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane gave a fine example of that during the last Test against Australia at Dharamsala where he opted to play five bowlers despite the absence of team's premier batsman Virat Kohli.
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Rahane's on field decisions, field settings, bowling changes were as aggressive as his batting in the last innings while chasing 106.
The right-hander, who is one of the key batsmen of Rising Pune Supergiant in this IPL, led the Indian team in the last Test against Australia in his own way, and was praised by many experts for the same.
"The atmosphere in the dressing room was slightly gloomy when we came to know that Virat (Kohli) won't be playing. But somewhere in my mind, I always wanted to do things my way. I knew I had to take all the decisions on ground. Of course, there are senior teammates to discuss, but I had to take the final call," he added.
Coming in to bat at 46 for two, chasing 106 for a win, Rahane smashed an unbeaten 38 from 27 balls, and hit Pat Cummins for back-to-back sixes in the process.
If his captaincy was aggressive, his batting in the last innings was just an extension of that. It was not something out of the blue, but a well-thought out move from the 28-year-old.
"I thought a lot about it the night before we chased down 106. I couldn't sleep that night because, sometimes a small target is a difficult one. The Galle Test was at the back of my mind (chasing 176 for a win, India were bowled out for 112 in less than 50 overs in August 2015). And I thought that if I get to bat, I would score a 30-ball fifty. I was visualising that the whole night. I went out to bat with that mindset, so I had a very clear mind. I was in that zone, where I wasn't thinking about anything else," he explained.
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