Indian captain Virat Kohli left the Australian shores with the side 0-1 down after the first Test match in Adelaide. Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane took over and produced one of India's greatest Test series victories, if not 'the greatest'.
Former Indian spinner Bishan Singh Bedi was floored by Rahane's captaincy skills, behavior with the players, and the command of respect from his side. Rahane's ability to make use of limited resources as compared to former Indian captain Nawab of Pataudi Jr. by Bedi.
Bishan Singh Bedi wrote in the Indian Express, "Personally, I am floored with the way Rahane conjured magic from broken bodies around him. The way he handled his meager resources reminds me of Tiger Pataudi, who throughout his captaincy tenure was woefully short of a well-rounded unit but his leadership alone gave Indian cricket fresh legs.
It was Pataudi who defined an 'Indianness' in our cricket. He infused in us a thrilling sense of being together in this ride."
"I’ve observed Rahane pretty closely on this tour. The hallmark of any captain is his ability to handle the bowling resources. This is where yours truly has become an absolute 'mureed' of Rahane. Three Tests is good enough time to assess a captain’s bowling changes and fielding placements.
I tried hard but I couldn’t find a single Rahane move which could be questioned by armchair critics like me," he added.
He remembered the late Richie Benaud's words that captaincy requires '90% luck and 10% skill but the luck shouldn't be tried unless one has the skill'. Bedi believes that it is somewhat true with Rahane but the numbers are a bit different.
Bedi wrote, "The great Richie Benaud famously said, 'Captaincy is 90 percent luck and 10 percent skill. But don’t try it without that 10 percent.' Rahane has both, though with a minor change in proportion. He has 50 percent luck and 50 percent skill."
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However, the former cricketer mentioned that his intention is not to degrade Virat Kohli's captaincy but to increase his India career as a batsman.
"I hope I’m not giving the impression of bending my back to build a case for Rahane to take over as Test captain. If anything my sincere aim is to prolong Virat Kohli’s batting career for the country. Shared responsibilities in cricket are different from corporate/political fields whence individuals are almost vying for cut-throat glory.
Maybe Kohli can offer to make an honourable way for Rahane to take over during the series against England at home. I can assure no bad blood would be caused when we ensure that the larger picture on the canvas is Indian cricket," he wrote.
(With inputs from Indian Express)
