Ajinkya Rahane has credited Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri with making India more aggressive and mentally stronger in Test cricket after MS Dhoni retired from the format.
Rahane, a former India vice-captain and a central member of that Test side, discussed the team’s development during an appearance on the Stick to Cricket podcast with Michael Vaughan, Alastair Cook, Phil Tufnell and David Lloyd.
Kohli and Shastri changed India’s overseas approach
Rahane said Kohli and Shastri encouraged India to play proactive cricket, particularly during overseas Tests. Kohli took over the Test captaincy after Dhoni retired midway through the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
“When MS Dhoni stepped away from Test cricket, Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri toughened up Indian cricket, especially in overseas Tests. We became more aggressive, bolder, and always proactive rather than defensive,” Rahane said, as reported by the Times of India.
Supplemental editorial cricket visual for Rahane credits Kohli-Shastri for India's fearless Test shift.
Rahane also recalled Kohli giving players freedom to trust their attacking instincts. “Virat always told me, ‘If you feel like attacking from the very first ball, go for it.’ He gave players the confidence to play fearlessly,” Rahane said.
India’s Test team later won series in Australia, reached the top of the ICC Test rankings and qualified for the inaugural World Test Championship final during the Kohli-Shastri period.
Rahane calls for character in difficult Test sessions
Rahane also said Test cricket requires greater patience, mental toughness and the ability to withstand difficult sessions rather than searching for immediate results.
Supplemental editorial cricket visual for Rahane credits Kohli-Shastri for India's fearless Test shift.
The former India batter said watching India’s recent Test struggles from outside the side had been disappointing. Rahane argued that players must build the character required to compete through demanding passages of a five-day match.
“Test cricket needs character. You need to build that character. Mental toughness, competitive cricket, that’s what is really important. Playing sessions out,” Rahane said.
Rahane did not single out a particular team, but said modern players were showing less willingness to absorb pressure. “Nowadays you don’t see many teams, I don’t want to pinpoint on anyone, you want to see people playing out those sessions, those tough sessions,” he said.
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