‘Ajinkya Rahane would bring a different style, different strategies’: Sachin Tendulkar ahead of India vs Australia Melbourne Test
Ahead of the India vs Australia Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, Sachin Tendulkar stated that Ajinkya Rahane’s calm demeanour doesn’t mean that he lacks aggression and he has his own way of showing combativeness.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar is trusting stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane to lead India well in the absence of Virat Kohli in the remaining three Tests of the Border-Gavaskar trophy against Australia.
After skipper Virat Kohli headed back home for the birth of his first child, Rahane is slated to don the leader’s cap for Team India for the upcoming Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne, which begins on Saturday. Although the Mumbai batsman has previously led India in 2 Test matches - both of which India won - this remains an uphill task for him after India tasted an 8-wicket defeat in the series-opening day-night Test.
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The mater blaster stated that Rahane’s calm demeanour doesn’t mean that he lacks aggression and he has his own way of showing combativeness.
“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 the Business Standard.
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Former batting ace further added that, “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.”
With their best batsman missing from the team, India will have to toil hard to level the series which they remarkably won 2-1 on their last tour to Australia in 2018-19.
