India vs Australia: ‘He did a good job’ – Glenn McGarth hails Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy

India vs Australia: ‘He did a good job’ – Glenn McGarth hails Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy

Glenn McGrath and Ajinkya Rahane

Glenn McGrath and Ajinkya Rahane
Glenn McGrath and Ajinkya Rahane

Indian Test team vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane took the charge to lead the side during the second match against Australia in Virat Kohli’s absence. He did a commendable job as India grabbed the driver’s seat after their bowlers grabbed an early advantage on day one.

The Australian team bundled out for 195 inside 73 overs with the top score from Marnus Labuschagne (48). Former Australian pacer Glenn McGrath also hailed Rahane’s aggressive captaincy and tactical changes on the field. 

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“I thought Rahane did a good job. Backed his bowlers. He had four slips and a gully at one point. Once Smith came out, he kept the pressure by bringing back Bumrah. I thought his captaincy has been very good,” Glenn McGrath told Sony Six.

‘India did not go with set bowling attack’ – Ajay Jadeja

Ajay Jadeja

The Indian team began their bowling with Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav attacking with the new ball. However, Ajinkya Rahane brought in Ravi Ashwin as the one-change bowler instead of debutant pacer Mohammed Siraj. This move from Ashwin turned successful as he got out Aussie opener Matthew Wade. Following this, he also took the all-important wicket of Steve Smith for the second time in this series.

Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja pointed out this tricky move from Ajinkya Rahane. Jadeja was impressed with Rahane after he broke the team’s usual bowling attack sequence. 

“It was obvious that he started with Bumrah. But when Ashwin got Smith, it was interesting to see Rahane carrying on to attack. Generally, you see India’s bowling attacks have a pattern, but today, there wasn’t a pattern. Normally, on the first day of a Test match, you don’t see nine overs (13) from spinners. It wasn’t just from one end, it was from the other end. He preferred his spinners to use the moisture that existed before lunch. That’s a call he made, and it was successful,” Ajay Jadeja said.

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