IND vs AUS | Ajinkya Rahane has always been a team man; always ready with plans, credits Pravin Amre

After India’s terrible defeat at the hands of the host in Adelaide, the onus was on Ajinkya Rahane to steer the ship to the shore Down Under - with his first Test at the iconic ‘G, where Australia have a great record. However, having lost the toss, India’s bowling attack made a merry of the conditions, bowling the right line and lengths to restrict Australia to their third total of below 200 in the Test series. 

That combined with Rahane’s incredible confidence in Ravichandran Ashwin, Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj, India got off to a rather comfortable start and a more comfortable finish towards the end. Former Indian batsman Pravin Amre, who is also Rahane’s coach and mentor, credited the right-hander for always being a team man who is ready with plans at every point in the game. 

"Ajinkya is always ready with the plans. Ajinkya has batted at No. 1 and No. 6 as well. He is always ready to bat at any position. It's always team first for him. He is always ready to do the job." Amre told TOI. 

“I am glad that Ajinkya has taken that responsibility. Team India are missing Virat badly because he is the ultimate run-machine for the team. He has got runs on many tours, including Australia. He went on paternity leave. So, from there Ajinkya has taken on the responsibility and captaincy role really well. He is a captain but it is very important for you to perform as a batsman too," he added. 

However, Amre also pointed at how Rahane got the best out of the debutants - Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj. The Hyderabad bowler picked up five wickets in the match and bowled exactly the right line and length required Down Under. Further, Amre also stated that Rahane’s trust in the two debutants were incredibly impressive. 

"The best thing I liked is how Ajinkya backed the two debutants. Backing debutants Gill and Siraj in the crucial Test at MCG was a very big call from Ajinkya. His gut feeling was there that the two youngsters can deliver. Those two guys were waiting for a long time and when they got the opportunity, they grabbed it with both hands. They are fresh and they don't have any baggage with them," Amre concluded.

India's next clash against Australia is at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), where according to the reports, Rahane is keen on employing left-arm seamer T Natarajan as the third pacer after an unfortunate injury to Umesh Yadav.