India is currently playing against Australia in the iconic Boxing Day Test at MCG. Earlier, the visitors were looked down on like the weaker side as their regular skipper Virat Kohli took paternity leave. However, Ajinkya Rahane, who was picked as the stand-in captain has taken the responsibility quite seriously on his shoulders, has led Team India from the front in batting. And, former Aussie pacer Glenn McGrath feels that Rahane is enjoying his new role as skipper.
Team India has marked a commendable comeback after suffering a humiliating defeat in the previous game against the hosts. The stand-in-skipper Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and elected to field first. And, bowlers gave a stand-out performance dismissing hosts at a lowly score of 195 runs.
Glenn McGrath Praises Ajinkya Rahane For His Brilliance At MCG
In the 1st innings, the tourists gave a mixed performance. But that was way better than the hosts. However, the star of the line-up was none other than Ajinkya Rahane. He smashed a magnificent ton against Australia and touched several milestones during his memorable knock. He got off the mark with a slow start and took his time to read the behavior of the pitch. But, in no time he got settled on the wicket and smashed Aussie bowlers in classical fashion. He played jaw-dropping cover drives, cut shots that left opponent bowlers clueless.
Rahane’s inning came to a halt due to a mix-up between the wickets and got run-out after scoring 114 runs. Although, he was poured with wishes for his brilliant century in the Boxing Day Test. Meanwhile, he was praised for his aggressive captaincy approach and bang on bowling changes during the game. He was too often seen giving tips to his batting partners and bowlers while fielding.
The former Aussie pacer Glenn McGrath is quite impressed with the way Ajinkya Rahane has showcased his captaincy skills and leadership qualities. He said that the way a 32-year-old Indian batsman has batted against Aussie players is simply unbelievable. The former player said that Rahane looked more focused and persistent than he was in Adelaide during 1st Test. He also added that the right-handed batsman is enjoying the new role that has given him the liberty to explore himself.
“Rahane has looked good. He is enjoying being captain, I think. Rahane, the way he has batted today, he has just looked solid. He is focused even more than he was in Adelaide. I guess being captain, it just helps you do that,” said McGrath at end of the second day on the Sony Six show
