India vs Australia: Ian Chappell lauds Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy ahead of the first Test
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Ian Chappell and Ajinkya rahane
Indian skipper Virat Kohli pulled out from the last three Test matches against Australia. As a result, the team’s vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will step up to lead the side from the Sydney Test onwards.
Former Australian captain Ian Chappell backed Ajinkya Rahane ahead of the inaugural Test, calling him an aggressive skipper. Chappell recalled the Dharamsala five-day game against Australia that India won under Rahane’s captaincy in 2017. He appreciated how the 32-year old used debutant Kuldeep Yadav to claim crucial wickets of the opposition.
“Well, I saw him captain in one Test against Australia (Dharamsala, March 2017) and found his captaincy to be fabulous. He was really an aggressive captain,” Chappell told PTI during a virtual interactive session ‘Cricket Conversations’.
“I remember a couple of aspects of his captaincy. What stood out for me was in the Australian first innings, Warner was going well and getting on top of Indian bowlers. He brought in Kuldeep Yadav (debutant), and he dismissed Warner.
“The second thing I remember was India chasing a low total, and they lost a couple of wickets. Rahane just came in and attacked the Australian bowlers and scored some 20 odd (38 off 27 balls). I liked that approach.”
“Look, as a captain, you always have two choices — one is the aggressive route, and the other is a conservative approach. I have believed that in Test cricket, an aggressive approach is must and Rahane is aggressive.”
Australia might go with Joe Burns and Marcus Harris as openers: Chappell
The home team suffered a massive blow ahead of the first Test after ace opener David Warner got ruled out. The southpaw picked a groin injury during the second ODI against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Ian Chappell stated that the Aussies would go with Joe Burns and Marcus Harris as their opening combination.
“Everything that could have gone wrong with the opening has gone wrong. Warner is out, and Joe Burns has been struggling. Luke Pucovski after another concussion, and I don’t think it would be good to play him both in terms of confidence and medical point of view.”
“I think Australians will go with Joe Burns and Marcus Harris opening combination. I thought Cameron Green would have played in Sydney but after his century in the warm-up game and a couple of wickets that he picked, there may be a temptation to play him in Adelaide,” observed the decorated former Aussie captain.
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Sachin Arora
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