Ajinkya Rahane played a key role as a batter and a leader during India’s famous series win Down Under in 2020-21, but has now revealed ‘someone else took credit’ for the decisions he made during the tour.
After being bowled out for just 36 in the day-night Test in Adelaide, India appeared to be out of the series. In addition, Kohli flew back to India after that defeat to be with his wife as they were expecting a child. India’s Ajinkya Rahane led the team in the remaining three matches and scripted a famous comeback which led to a series win.
In addition, he played a major role in their victory in Melbourne as he scored a match-winning century and led the team from the front. In a recent interview, however, he said that he wasn’t happy to see others take credit for his decisions.
Rahane said in an episode of ‘Backstage With Boria’, “I know what I’ve done there. I don’t need to tell anyone. That’s not my style to go and claim credit. Yes, there were some things I decided on the field or in the dressing room, but someone else was given credit,” he said.
“It was important to me that we won the series. It was a historical series and that was a special experience for me.”
Rahane, however, earned a lot of praise from pundits, former cricketers, and fans for the way he led the team in the absence of Kohli and after that humiliating defeat in Adelaide. The Indian team also lost many key players to injury throughout the series, but the fringe players stepped up under Rahane’s leadership to script an inspiring comeback.
“Thereafter, it is for them to talk about the reactions from people or those who took credit, or what was said in the media, ‘I did this,’ or ‘This was my decision,’ or ‘I made this call,’,” Rahane said.
“In my case, I knew what decisions I took on the field and what decisions I took based on my instincts.”
“Yes, we talked to the management too, but I used to laugh about it because that is what I did on the field, I never talk much about myself or praise myself. But what I did there, I knew.” However, Rahane suffered a prolonged slump after leading India to that historic series win in Australia, which continued on the tour of South Africa.
After that series, Rahane hasn’t had a good time. In 2021, he played 13 Test matches and scored 479 runs at an average of 20.82. He scored two fifties and some important 40s, but lacked consistency overall. After his poor run, he lost his vice-captaincy and only played as a batter during the series in South Africa, where he scored 136 runs in six innings at an average of 22.67. He has been criticized for his poor run but isn’t bothered by it. In fact, he believes in himself and is confident about discovering his mojo again.
