Senior Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane, who led the Indian team to a remarkable come-from-behind series victory in Australia last January, on Friday made startling revelations saying 'someone else took credit' for the decisions he made during the tour, which saw the absence of some of the notable regulars of the format including Virat Kohli. While the revelations shocked world cricket, an old video of R Ashwin crediting former head coach Ravi Shastri went viral on Twitter.
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Following the infamous '36 all-out' in Adelaide, Kohli had flew back home to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. Rahane then led the Indian team to a memorable series win in Australia amid rising injury cases which resulted in the team playing most of their reserve players.
The Boxing Day Test in Melbourne stood as the key point in the turnaround of India's fate in the Test series. Not only did Rahane score a magnificent century, some of the key bowling decisions made by him, as claimed in the recent interview on Backstage with Boria, helped India register an impressive comeback win.
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Speaking to journalist Boria Majumdar, Rahane said that bringing Ashwin in the ninth over, which resulted in quick dismissals of Matthew Wade and Steve Smith, was purely “instinctive”, a decision which he took after realising the damp nature of the Melbourne track.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking to journalist Boria Majumdar, Rahane said that bringing Ashwin in the ninth over, which resulted in quick dismissals of Matthew Wade and Steve Smith, was purely “instinctive”, a decision which he took after realising the damp nature of the Melbourne track.
{{/usCountry}}“Bringing Ashwin in the ninth over was completely instinctive and that played off really well. It got Matthew Wade out and Steve Smith out in two overs. I won't say that it completely turned the game in our favour after that but I will admit that was a decision which was purely on instinct. Wicket was looking damp. After the pacers went about in the first three-four overs I felt I should use Ashwin in Melbourne and the time in now,” he said.
Wade was dismissed in the 13th over while Smith went for a duck in Ashwin's very next over as Australia were reduced to three down for 38 in just 14.3 overs. Barring the 86-run partnership between Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head that followed, Australia failed to withstand the Indian bowling attack as they were folded for 195 runs in the first innings after opting to bat first.
However, in YouTube video posted by Ashwin earlier last year, the veteran off-spinner credited Shastri for the idea of using him in the bowling attack early in the innings, claiming that the former head coach that informed Rahane to use him in the first 10 overs.
“Ravi Shastri came into the dressing room and boomed, ‘ASSHHHH, get the ball in the first 10 overs’. I was just wearing my pants. I thought ‘in Melbourne he wants me to bowl in the first 10 overs’ (Ashwin imitating Shastri), he said in conversation with India's former fielding coach R Sridhar.
“It might be damp, it might spin, I have told Jinks (Rahane)’. Bumrah bowled a good spell. Jinks then gave me the ball and the first ball I bowled, it spun a lot and bounced as well. I was like wow."
Although Rahane did not specify any names during his interview, but admitted that the credit for the decisions he took on the field and in the dressing room were taken by "someone else".
"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. (What was) important for me was that we won the series. That was a historical series and for me, that was really special," he said.