I Stay Calm And Cool But My Batting Is Aggressive - Ajinkya Rahane

Ahead of the second Test against Australia, stand-in captain of the Indian team, Ajinkya Rahane says that the focus is on the team to improve as a collective whole and not just on himself or any individual. Rahane will lead the side in absence of a regular skipper, Virat Kohli who has returned home after the first Test to attend the birth of his child.

Rahane, not only will have the responsibility to captain the team on the field but also to make sure that the batters are not mentally affected by the debacle in Adelaide which saw India register its lowest ever Test total. The right-hander carries a calm demeanour but backs himself to be aggressive in batting and while leading the side on the field.

As quoted by Sportskeeda, Ajinkya Rahane said, “It’s a proud moment for me to lead India. It’s a great opportunity, responsibility as well. I don’t want to take any pressure. What I want to do is back my teammates and my team. As a team, we want to do well so the focus is not on me is all about the team and how we want to do well as a team in Australia.

“Personally, I stay really calm and cool but my batting is aggressive and my back my instincts. It’s all about playing as a team from tomorrow and just giving our best,” Ajinkya Rahane added.

Ajinkya Rahane makes 4 changes in the team for the Boxing Day Test

A wholesale of changes was expected in the Indian line-up after the Adelaide fiasco. While Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami are forced changes, as the skipper is not available and the pacer is ruled out from the rest of the series owing to a fractured arm- Shami was hit by a short ball from Pat Cummins while batting in the second innings.

Mohammed Siraj will make his debut as he comes in for Shami. Ravindra Jadeja is declared fit – after suffering a concussion and a hamstring injury in the T20I series – and the all-rounder replaces Kohli. With Jadeja in the eleven, Rahane will have 5 frontline bowling options and the part-time off-spin of Hanuma Vihari at his disposal.

Two much-talked-about changes are that of debutant Shubman Gill for opener Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant for Wriddhiman Saha as the wicket-keeper batsman. The axe has been hanging on Shaw after his continuous failures while Saha despite being a better keeper than Pant hasn’t contributed significantly with the bat since Pant’s arrival.

ALERT?: #TeamIndia for 2nd Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia to be played in MCG from tomorrow announced. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/4g1q3DJmm7

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 25, 2020

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