Ajinkya Rahane Puts Full Stop To The Captaincy Debate, Says He Is Virat’s Deputy

Amidst a heated debate about India’s captaincy after India’s great win against Australia under the captaincy of Ajinkya Rahane, there’s a statement by Rahane which puts an end to this debate. He said "When I was going through a bad patch, My Captain (Virat Kohli) boosted my Morale."

(Source: Getty Images)

India recently won a dramatic Test series in Australia. They beat Australia 2-1 and also breached the Aussie fortress of the Gabba. It was a second consecutive Test series win for India in Australia. But this win was very different and special than any other wins down-under, as India was playing with a young side with most of its experienced players either injured or unavailable.

When India won the Test series, people started speculating that Rahane be mad the captain of India in Tests. His record as a Test captain is fantastic. He has captained India in five Test matches and has won four and drawn one match. Four out of these five matches came against Australia while one came against Afghanistan in June 2018.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There have been 10 Test captains with unbeaten record in Australia. Of those 10, only 3 managed to win more than 1 Test.<br><br>Percy Chapman 1928/29 (Bradman’s debut).<br><br>Ray Illingworth 1970/71 (G Chappell &amp; Lillee’s debut).<a href="https://twitter.com/ajinkyarahane88?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>@ajinkyarahane88</a> 2020/21 (good timing, Green🧐😉)!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>#AUSvIND</a></p>&mdash; Rav (@rav_man0) <a href="https://twitter.com/rav_man0/status/1351463576230195201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>January 19, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Many international fans and ex-cricketers suggested that Rahane be made the captain of India in Tests.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I think I would have really considered keeping <a href="https://twitter.com/ajinkyarahane88?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>@ajinkyarahane88</a> as Captain for <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>@BCCI</a> !!! Allowing <a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>@imVkohli</a> to be the Batsman only would make India even more dangerous &amp; Rahane has an incredible presence &amp; tactical nous about him ... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvsAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>#INDvsAUS</a></p>&mdash; Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelVaughan/status/1351535945061982212?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>January 19, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thats my captain, our captain Ajinkya only👍👏👏👍....for upcoming Eng-tour also he is, not Virat🤟🏏🏏🤟<br><br>In test, we will consider only &amp; only Jinx <a href="https://twitter.com/ajinkyarahane88?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>@ajinkyarahane88</a> our captain❤❤</p>&mdash; Nitesh Nishu (@nitesh_nishu44) <a href="https://twitter.com/nitesh_nishu44/status/1352939828585910275?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel='nofollow'>January 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Rahane recently gave an interview to PTI in which he clarified everything related to the captaincy debate. He said:

 "Nothing changes. Virat was and will always be the captain of the Test team, and I am his deputy. When he was absent it was my duty to lead the side and my responsibility to give my best for Team India's success.”

The 32-year old said that he has a good relation with Virat Kohli and that Virat has always had praise for Rahane’s batting. Rahane said it helps for the team if Virat comes in at 4 and Rahane at 5, thus having a lot of partnerships together. Both of them compliment each other well while batting and also caution when the other plays a rash shot, he said. When asked about his opinion on Virat Kohli as captain, he said that Virat is a sharp on-field captain with a tactical mind, he said:

“Whenever the spinners are in operation, he is banking on me, and he believes that taking those catches at slips off (Ravichandran) Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja is one of my core competence areas. Virat expects a lot from me, and I try and ensure not to let him down.”  

We will see both Virat and Rahane in action next against England in Chennai on February 5.