India vs Australia: ‘More Focussed than what he was in Adelaide’, Glenn McGrath says Rahane ‘is enjoying being captain’

India’s stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane garnered praises from the cricket fraternity after the visitors dominated the first day of the Boxing Day Test and bowled out Australia for 195. Later, the Mumbai batsman anchored the innings with bat and notched up his 12th Test ton on the second day of the game.

Impressed with Rahane’s performance as a leader, legendary Australian pacer Glenn McGrath said he felt that Ajinkya Rahane is having pleasure in his role as captain and looking more determined than before.

“Rahane has looked good, chance free. He is enjoying being captain, I think. Rahane, the way he has batted today, he has just looked solid. He is focussed even more than what he was in Adelaide. I guess being captain, it just helps you do that,” Glenn McGrath told Sony Six.

Agreeing to McGrath, former Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar credited Rahane for putting India in a good position against the mighty Aussies. He stated that the stand-in skipper has played a Cheteshwar Pujara-like innings and held one end strongly.

“Very determined. Again, the bowling has been really good. They perhaps had a little bit of luck which they didn’t have at all in Adelaide. Rahane, in those two partnerships, with Vihari and Pant has put India in a really good position. But still a lot of work to be done,” Agarkar said at the Tea break.

“The bowling has been good as well; you have to respect that too. The bowling has been relentless, and you have got to work hard. Maybe being captain, that added responsibility, sometimes people just thrive under it and he seems to be one of them. He has been very determined, almost a Pujara role. But at the moment, it is working for him,” he added.

Apart from being tactically phenomenal on the field, Rahane played a commendable knock with the bat. He became the first Indian cricketer to have smashed a century in the ongoing Test Series down.

It was the first Test ton for Rahane as Indian captain which he notched up with a square cut off Pat Cummins’ ball that raced away to the fence. He also became the second Indian cricketer to score a ton on his first match as captain in Australia. Kohli was the first one to do it in 2014 when he slammed a century in Adelaide.

Get Latest Cricket Updates, Live scores and Top news on HT Cricket.

Source: Read Full Article