Rahane will lead India in the remaining three Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
With regular skipper Virat Kohli returning home for the birth of his first child, Ajinkya Rahane will now have to take the onus of inspiring the team to script a turnaround.
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Rahane, who has led India to Test victories against Australia and Afghanistan in the past, is known for his calmness on the field.
Ahead of the Boxing Day Test, batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has said that Rahane's calm and composed demeanour shouldn't be mistaken for him being weak.
"Ajinkya has led India earlier also, and his calmness doesn't mean he is not aggressive. Each person has his way of showing aggression. Someone who doesn't show aggression doesn't mean he's not aggressive. (Cheteshwar) Pujara, for example, is very calm and composed; his body language is into the game, focussed. But that doesn't mean that Pujara is trying any less than anyone else," Tendulkar told IANS in an exclusive interview.
"Each person has his own way of reacting and responding to situations, but I can assure you everyone's destination is one; they've different routes to get there -- and that is how they can make India win. So, Ajinkya's would be a different style, different strategies. That is up to the team management -- how they plan, how the pitch plays, and what our batting and bowling line-ups would be," he added.
"All those things come into play. They will do everything to try and win. Absence of seniors does affect the balance of a team, but that gives opportunities to someone else. Overall, it is about Team India and not about individuals. Individuals can get injured and be ruled out of the series, but Team India will always be there," he continued.
Rahane registered the scores of 42 and 0 in the two innings of Adelaide Test. Earlier, he had endured a poor IPL 2020 campaign for Delhi Capitals.
Tendulkar, however, backed Rahane to deliver in the remaining three Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
"He is an experienced player, has been around for a long time, travelled well, and scored runs abroad. It's just a matter of spending time (at the crease), staying committed to what he wants to do. I feel he has that capability to soak in the pressure; he can," said the batting maestro.
"The only thing I would like to see in his batting is a nice, solid front-foot defence, with a good stride forward. That applies to more or less all players; there are no exceptions. When you travel abroad and your front foot is forward and you are defending the ball well, then everything else falls in place. Forward defence is like a jigsaw puzzle; if you don't sort it out at the start the rest will never follow. If the forward defence is not there, bowlers will always smell opportunity," he further remarked.
Ajinkya Rahane has represented India in 66 Tests so far, scoring 4245 runs at an average of 42.45 with 11 centuries and 22 fifties.
(With IANS inputs)