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‘I looked good because everyone contributed’, Rahane lauds his team for ‘having the fighting spirit’ on the field
Rahane did exceptionally well in galvanising the squad after regular skipper Virat Kohli headed back home on paternity leave following the debacle in the first Test at Adelaide.
Facing the Australians in their own backyard has always been a tough nut to crack for the Indians. But the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 certainly proved that no challenge is big enough to accept if the team has got courage and grit.
An injury-stricken India appeared to be volatile against a power-packed Australian side. But the resilience shown by the players made the task easy for stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane who proudly lifted the trophy at the Gabba on Tuesday after thrashing the hosts by 3 wickets and winning the Test rubber 2-1.
The Mumbai lad did exceptionally well in galvanising the squad after regular skipper Virat Kohli headed back home on paternity leave following the debacle in the first Test at Adelaide.
Hailing the character shown by the players, Rahane said, “It's an honour to lead the country. It was not about me but about the team. I looked good because everyone contributed. For us, it was about having that character on the field, having the fighting spirit, the attitude.”
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Under Rahane’s leadership, the tourists moved on from the Adelaide debacle. He made sure the game was not discussed going forward. He then played a terrific knock in Melbourne to level the series.
The going got tougher with each passing game as the injury list grew but Rahane said it was all about fighting on with the resources they were left with.
“It was really tough after the Adelaide Test but it was all about showing character and fighting spirit. We were not thinking too much about the result. We just wanted to play good cricket. Credit to everyone in the squad including the support staff,” Rahane said after the completion of the game.
Rahane will be back as Kohli's deputy in the upcoming home series against England next month. But for now, he just wants to savour this victory.
“We all should enjoy this win, not just us but every Indian should enjoy this. What we did here is historic and we want to enjoy this win tonight and once we land in India we will think about the England series,” said Rahane.
