Ajinkya Rahane indicated a sense of displeasure for not being credited for some of the decisions he took as captain in helping India comeback from the disastrous ’36 all out’ to remarkably win the Test series 2-1 in Australia last winter.
Rahane said “someone else” took the credit for the moves that were his brainchild as the team recovered from the ignominy of the loss in Adelaide’s D/N pink-ball Test and the absence of multiple stars, including their regular skipper Virat Kohli, to famously retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
India made an outstanding comeback in Melbourne with a victory after their embarrassing defeat at the Adelaide Oval, pulled off an inspirational draw in Sydney and breached the fortress of Gabba to secure their series victory.
It was for the second successive tour that India defeated Australia in their own den – a result that nobody gave them a chance to achieve when Kohli went back on paternity leave, and multiple injuries emerged.
While there were many outstanding contributions that played a part in the victories at MCG and Brisbane and the resolute draw at SCG, it was Rahane’s memorable hundred in the second Test that many felt was key behind India’s revival despite many obstacles.
Beyond that excellent knock, Rahane said he took multiple decisions as captain for the betterment of the team that paid rich dividends. However, he didn’t get the desired credit for them or the level of praise he expected amongst the fans and in the media.
“I know what I’ve done there. I don’t need to tell anyone. That’s not my nature to go and take credit. Yes, there were some things that I took the decisions on the field or in the dressing room but someone else took the credit for it,”
Rahane said in response to a query over the YouTube show ‘Backstage with Boria’.
“(What was) important for me was that we won the series. That was a historical series and for me, that was really special.”
It is not clear who Rahane meant by “someone else”. However, his remarks are being taken as a statement directly targeting the then India head coach Ravi Shastri, who certainly enjoyed more media space and fan praise following the triumph in Australia.
While Rahane was lauded for his captaincy exploits by experts, greater regard was given to the fact that this is “Kohli’s team”, especially as Shastri became the voice that championed the cause for this being India’s greatest Test side.
“After that, the reactions from people or those who took credit or what was said on the media, ‘I did this’ or ‘This was my decision’, or ‘This was my call’, it was for them to talk about,”
“From my end, I knew what decisions I took on the field and what decisions I took on my instincts. Yes, we talked with the management too but I used to laugh about it, that is what I did on the field, I never talk much about myself or praise myself. But what I did there, I knew,”
he added.
During the conversation, Rahane also offered a contrasting backdrop to his decision to bowl off-spinner R Ashwin with the new ball in the second Test.
While Rahane called it an instinctive call that he made, Ashwin, over his own Youtube show, had said it was Shastri who first told him he is about to bowl early on the slightly damp surface at the MCG.
