Team India had faced a lot of flak when they got bowled out for 36 during their 8-wicket loss in the opening Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval last month.
Furthermore, regular skipper Virat Kohli returned home on paternity leave after the first Test while a number of key players sustained injuries through the course of the series.
Despite the setbacks, the visiting team under Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy bounced back brilliantly to register a 2-1 series victory with emphatic wins in Melbourne and Brisbane.
After the triumph Down Under, many former cricketers have suggested that Rahane should lead the national side in the longest format but the Mumbaikar is happy to play the role of Kohli’s deputy.
"Nothing changes. Virat was and will always be the captain of the Test team and I am his deputy. When he was absent it was my duty to lead the side and my responsibility to give my best for Team India's success," Rahane told PTI in an exclusive interview on Tuesday (January 26).
"It's not the matter of merely being a captain. How you perform the captain's role is what's more important. So far I have been successful. Hopefully, in future also, I will try to give these kind of results for my team," added the man, who has led his country to four wins in five Tests.
Talking about his rapport with Kohli, Rahane said it has always been smooth.
"Me and Virat have always shared a good bonding with each other. He has time and again praised my batting. Both of us played memorable knocks for our team in India and overseas conditions. It only helped that Virat comes at No 4 and myself at No 5. We have had a lot of partnerships," the 32-year-old said.
"We have always backed each other's game. When we are at the crease, we discuss threadbare about opposition's bowling. We caution each other whenever one of us plays a rash shot," he further remarked.
Commenting on Kohli’s captaincy, Rahane said: "Virat is a sharp captain. He takes good on-field decisions. Whenever the spinners are in operation, he is banking on me and he believes that taking those catches at slips off (Ravichandran) Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja is one of my core competence areas. Virat expects a lot from me and I try and ensure not to let him down."
Cricket legends such as Ian Chappell and Bishan Singh Bedi have seen more of a "leader" in Rahane but he downplayed his role.
"With regards to leadership, I can only say that it varies from person to person. A captain is as good as his team. When you win a match or a series, it's always a collective effort and not because of singular man's contribution.
"It's your teammates only, who make you a good leader. The complete credit of this series win belongs to my team," Rahane concluded.
(With PTI inputs)
