Former Indian opening batter and commentator Sunil Gavaskar has reckoned that the former Indian middle-order batter Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy achievements were never appreciated properly.
Writing his exclusive column for Mid-Day, Gavaskar went on to compare Rahane’s captaincy to that of Rahul Dravid, stating that both of them propelled India to memorable wins, but couldn’t get sufficient recognition.
“His record as a skipper is exceptional, with four wins out of six and no losses. Like Rahul Dravid, who also had some terrific wins under his captaincy but never got the credit he deserved, Rahane’s leadership also hardly got the applause that it merited,” Gavaskar wrote.
Rahane, who announced his retirement from all forms, captained India in six Test matches, winning four and drawing two without suffering a defeat. His memorable achievement came during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 series, when he led an injury-hit Indian side to a remarkable 2-1 series victory Down Under.
“After the demoralising collapse of 36 all out in the first Test of the 2021 series Down Under, it was Rahane, along with Ravi Shastri, who picked the team from the dumps,” he added.
“This is typical of Indian cricket. When the team wins, all praise goes to the individual achievers, be it batters or bowlers, but when the team loses, the captain and the coach get the blame,” he noted.
“The vice-captain took over a ship that was ready to sink and not only sailed it into calmer waters but also gave India an unprecedented first victory at Australia’s fortress ‘The Gabba’ and with it the series win too,” he concluded.
After India’s 36 all out in Adelaide and Kohli’s departure, Rahane scored an exceptional 112 to level the series at the MCG. He managed a young squad and conquered Australia’s fortress at Brisbane to win the series 2-1.
