Ajinkya Rahane, Team India’s stand-in skipper for the final three Tests against Australia, on Friday said it is a proud moment for him to lead the national team, adding that the job will be a mix of opportunities and responsibilities.
Regular captain Virat Kohli will be unavailable for the rest of the series as he has returned home on paternity leave. He and his wife, Anushka Sharma, are about to embrace parenthood for the first time.
Rahane, who has previous experience of leading India, said the focus is not him but on how well the team performs as a unit after going down 1-0 in the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“It’s a proud moment for me to captain India and obviously it’s a great opportunity and responsibility, as well. I don’t want to take any pressure and I want to back my team,” Rahane said during a pre-match virtual press conference.
“As a team, we need to do well so focus is not on me, it’s on the team and how we need to do well in Australia – we are focusing on that,” he added.
Rahane reckoned that he wants his players to focus on themselves without paying much attention to the Australian team, which has always been known for sledging their opponents.
“Australians are very good at playing mind games. We are just focusing on ourselves, we will back ourselves as a team as a unit,”
Rahane, who had led India to a famous 8-wicket win over Australia in the Dharamshala Test in 2017, said he has learned to back his instinct from his previous experiences.
“From the 2017 Dharamsala Test, I learned that backing your instinct, backing your methods, and staying true to your style (is the right approach),” he said.