Herculean task ahead, Rahane allows himself a few smiles

Ajinkya Rahane used some words you’d hear in a corporate office or at a wellness retreat during a virtual press conference on December 25, the eve of the Boxing Day Test between India and Australia in Melbourne. The 32-year-old spoke of teamwork, communication and staying in the moment, among other things.

He also grinned a few times. From India’s point of view, this was heartening.

Rahane’s Christmas Day smile, spreading across an un-Santa beard and a lean un-Santa face, was sometimes rueful, sometimes out of amusement at probing questions about team composition. But it was better than a frown.

After the mauling in Adelaide, Rahane and the team, a depleted unit in the absence of Virat Kohli and Mohammad Shami, will be under immense pressure to redeem themselves in Melbourne, at least in the first couple of sessions. Even at such a time, if Rahane was showing the ability to relax a bit, it bode well for India. It is also a lesson for corporate leaders.

“In the last Test, we had two comparatively good days. We just had one bad hour in which we lost it completely. The chat later was about backing ourselves and sticking to whatever we have planned,” Rahane said, his thick eyebrows going up like levitating dolphins. “One bad hour does not mean the team is bad. In our last couple of net sessions, the preparation has been really good. I definitely see the next three Tests more as an opportunity rather than a crisis.”

Another plot point in Adelaide was when a well-set partnership between Kohli and Rahane in the first innings was cut short due to Kohli’s run out, caused largely by Rahane.

Asked about it, Rahane nodded, admitting his mistake.

“It was a tough one,” Rahane said. “We were going well. The momentum swung Australia’s way after Virat got out. Later, I said sorry to him. He was okay with it. Such things happen and you have to say sorry and move on.”

One bad hour does not mean the team is bad... I definitely see the next three Tests more as an opportunity rather than a crisis.

-Ajinkya Rahane

After a defeat like Adelaide, you draw optimism from wherever you can. India have a good record in Melbourne. It was in the cavernous MCG that they took a winning 2-1 lead in the 2018 series. In the 2014-15 season, India lost the series but Rahane was one of the heavy scorers with 399 runs in four Tests, including 147 in Melbourne.

“Yes, our record at the MCG is really good,” Rahane said. “It is important to start well tomorrow. It’s all about staying in the moment and reading the situation well. I think staying in the moment will really help us.”

The other day, Australian coach Justin Langer said that he empathised with India but preferred them being stressed over Christmas weekend than Australia. When Rahane was asked if he was stressed, he smiled. “The Aussies are very good at mindgames. Let them do that.”

Rahane’s job is to worry about India. As a captain, he wants his players to “stay in the moment and express their game” without fear. Spoken like a leader, even though a temporary one bearing a heavy burden.