India vs Australia: ‘Calm, composed and clear’ – Ishant Sharma shares his experience with ‘bowler’s captain’ Ajinkya Rahane

India vs Australia: ‘Calm, composed and clear’ – Ishant Sharma shares his experience with ‘bowler’s captain’ Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma

Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma
Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma

With captain Virat Kohli‘s departure, all eyes are on stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane. Known as a calm and composed figure on the field, Rahane has a big task ahead of him, especially after the Adelaide debacle. And Mohammed Shami’s injury means the middle-order batsman has his work cut out as the captain for the series. Experienced campaigner Ishant Sharma, who missed the series with a rib injury, is all praises for ‘bowler’s captain’ Rahane’s approach.

Sharma feels that his calm composure and clear mindset will help India bounce back in the series. The lanky pacer shares that communication is Rahane’s strong suit when it comes to leading. And feels that it will help the side navigate this crucial period. Ishant played only Test under Rahane’s captaincy back in 2018 against Afghanistan.

“You can see what type of person he is in his captaincy. He is very confident, he is very calm. I can’t say he doesn’t have a sense of humour, he jokes around with us. But he is very confident in what he wants to do. I must say he is a bowler’s captain because whenever Virat has not been around on the field, Jinks always asked me what kind of field you want, when you want to bowl just tell me, let me know if you want to go on,” Ishant told ESPN Cricinfo.

“So I think he is a bowler’s captain. He is not someone who will say, do this or do that. Even when Virat is there, he (Rahane) keeps on asking me, I don’t know about others, but he keeps asking me, ‘How many overs you want to bowl so I will speak to to Virat.’ He is someone who I should say is calm, composed and clear. He is very clear about what he wants from his team.“

What will India miss?

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli

It has been a big question ever since the build-up to the Test series, what will India miss in captaincy when Kohli departs? Answering the question, Ishant asserts that it is the skipper’s energy which played a huge part in his leadership. He shares that his energy was contagious and pushed the team to always go that extra mile before giving up. While Ishant agrees that Rahane might not be able to replicate it on the field. But adds that it is his calming presence which might do the trick. With a team laden with youngsters, Rahane’s ‘calm energy’ could come in handy in crunch situations.

“In absence of Virat, I think the kind of energy he brings to the table, in the field. Thats very important because of that nergy of his which he shows after every ball, in every ball. I don’t think every other person can match that. As a bowler you cant go with kind of energy in every ball becuse you have to save your energy as you have to bowl 20 overs in a day. But as a feilder, what he brings to the table, if Jinks does that, then I am sure he can turn it around for the team. And I will hope he will do that because that is what Virat is good at. That energy he has on the ground makes the difference.“

“Obviously that affects. There is a partnership going on, but everyone is flat, going with the motion and during that time, the energy of one player has the potential to change the entire scenario. But I am sure Jinks without doing the same will provide calm energy, especially in a pressure situation. He will communicate with the bowlers very well.” he concludes.

The second Test is scheduled from 26th December at the iconic MCG. And India will be loking to keep the series alive after a mauling in the pink ball Test.

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