Ajinkya Rahane has, thus far, collected 1,090 of his 4,471 Test runs against Australia. It’s a team he has fired a fourth of his 22 Test fifties against and lest it is forgotten, also two dogged centuries, both of which saw his team roar akin to a Tiger hunting for a Kangaroo in the Kangaroo-land! And recently, Rahane led the Indian team minus Virat Kohli to a sensational series win Down Under.
In the process of notching up what can only be called a hair-raising and emotional series win in Australia, Ajinkya Rahane’s own contribution was special and truth be told, simply unforgettable.
At a time where India were reduced to the same utility as held by a thin and useless shred of paper, the team being 36 all out at one stage in the series, it was Ajinkya Rahane who paved way for a fighting comeback via a dogged century at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground.
This was no ordinary knock; it was a captain paving way for an ailing team soldiering on to save the day when everything had been taken away from it.
But guess what?
You’d be awfully mistaken to think that the famous MCG-bound 112 was the only significant contribution of the man we famously call “Jinx,” in the just-completed series.
At this present moment in time, social media is riddled with snapshots and pictures, and the entire text script of a famous Gabba address wherein the stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane lifted the mood and spirits of one and all through a simple and heartening talk delivered in the aftermath of the sensational win.
So what is it all about? And why is Ajinkya Rahane in the news once again for his dressing room talk? What was it about this lecture that made the mild-mannered simpleton capture the headlines once again?
Now, in order to understand what Rahane had to say to his winning team that snatched glory when not a lot went in its favor back in Oz, one will have to first read the following texts published recently on the BCCI’s Twitter handle: @BCCI
“As we draw curtains on our historic triumph and start our preparations for the home series, here’s Captain @ajinkyarahane88‘s address to #TeamIndia from the Gabba dressing room!”
After the above piece of text, there was a video inscribed within the Tweet that shows the famous right-handed batsman offering some simple observations; largely precious acknowledgements on those individuals without whose contributions, India would never have won the incredible Test series and that too, in Australia!
And make no mistake!
It is precisely where that one understands why Ajinkya Rahane really matters and why his simple albeit incredible gesture concerning two particular cricketers goes a long way to define the current spirit of Team India. This, one mustn’t forget, is a team we cannot imagine the firmament of international cricket without:
This is a massive moment for all of us. What happened in Adelaide, how we came back from Melbourne onwards was really good to see. Everyone did their effort, everyone contributed, it was not about one or two individuals. I just want to mention Kuldeep Yadav and Kartik Tyagi,” Ajinkya Rahane said in the dressing room.
“Kuldeep, I know it was tough for you, you did not play a game here but your attitude was really good. Your time will come, just keep working hard. Kartik you were fantastic.”
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A good captain, notes the contributions and efforts of those who formed a part of the playing eleven, but an incredible captain is the one who doesn’t forget his bench, those who couldn’t make it to the field but hung in there and were a part of the team even without being there on the ground!