Abu Dhabi: Even before Ajinkya Rahane had even begun to ponder over his next move after being dropped from the playing XI by India skipper M.S. Dhoni in the second ODI of the Bangladesh tour, BCCI handed him the olive branch — captaincy for the Zimbabwe tour.
Dhoni’s argument for not picking Rahane was due to the latter’s alleged inability to rotate the strike, but it looks like the BCCI selectors led by former India batsman Sandeep Patil, begged to differ. They not only have shown faith in the Mumbai batsman, but the move also seems to be to groom someone who is not erratic and has a cool head on his shoulders. A trait that India will miss dearly once Dhoni decides to step down from the shorter format of the game.
So far, the three-match Test captain Virat Kohli has been the front-runner for that post, but the star batsman is turning into a serial offender when it comes to getting into trouble for shooting his mouth irresponsibly.
The best way to test Rahane’s ability was by keeping Kohli along with other seniors like Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan out of the Zimbabwe tour of three ODIs and two T20 matches.
This serves is a huge opportunity for Rahane, who will become the first Mumbaikar since Sachin Tendulkar to lead India, but the 27-year-old will be under pressure to prove his worth — especially with his record in ODIs not showing such a healthy picture. The 27-year-old has so far managed just 1,593 runs in 55 ODIs at a forgettable average of 30.63 with just two hundreds and nine fifties.
“I’m really excited about this,” said Ajinkya in an interview on the BCCI website. “The decision of naming me captain did come as a surprise because I wasn’t thinking about captaincy ever. I’m sure this move will take me forward and I will strive to do my best. It is a new challenge and responsibility in my career and I am looking forward to it. I know my work ethics and I will achieve success step by step,” .
Speaking about his poor record with the bat in ODI’s, Rahane said: “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and my aim is to keep looking after myself and my game. If I do such things well, I know this game will reward me back. It is the process that matters to me and not the results. I am sure I will get consistent in ODIs like in Tests & T20s.”
So far, Rahane’s stint as a captain has been for Mumbai U-19 side where he led the team to the Cooch Behar title in the 2006-07 season and for the Ranji Trophy T20 team.
Rahane, who over the years, has played under reputed captains like Rahul Dravid, Dhoni and Kohli was of the view that there was plenty to salvage from each one of them.
“Firstly, playing under MS Dhoni I would observe how he would be calm on the field. He has a very peculiar and calm way of handling situations," he said.
"I would like to take that quality from him. What I would like to take from Virat Kohli would be controlled aggression. You can see that quality in his batting and his captaincy.
"And finally, Rahul bhai is someone who likes to keep things really simple on the field — which I got to know while playing under him with the Rajasthan Royals."
“I have others to help me out as well and I wouldn’t mind running up to them for advice. But I would like to take calmness, controlled aggression and simplicity from the three captains that I just spoke about."
Despite leading a side without key players, Rahane was confident that he can get the desired result as the players who have got the opportunity have come in after a good run in the domestic and IPL season.
“These players have got their reward for their consistent performances. Every player has played their part towards their respective team’s success. I believe it is always important to back your players and give them confidence. I want to lead by example and be positive at all times,” said Rahane.
