From a devastating all-out to ruling over the Aussies.
Indians still shiver when they remember the first test match of the 2020-2021 Border Gavaskar Trophy. The Indian team scored a challenging 245 runs in their first inning and stopped the Aussies at 191 to take the lead. And then, the second innings dropped a massive bomb on the entire Indian cricketing community. The Indian team was bowled out for merely 36 runs, their lowest test score in history.
None of the Indian stars managed to score runs in the double digits. The situation was so dire that Virat Kohli was immediately replaced as the captain of the team. The ICT was being trolled and shamed, and they thought the team would get whitewashed in the test series. But then, Ajinkya Rahane took the mantle of being the skipper of the team. He then changed the course of their ship to a fabulous and definitive victory in BGT.
From day 1 shame to pride and joy in the finale, feat. Rahane
Rahane was no stranger to the Indian team at that point. He has also gained experience as captain for quite some time. But nothing could prepare him for the massive pressure he would feel in that situation.
During a recent interview, he candidly reveals his mentality at that point in time. "I was nervous, frankly. I will be really honest. But as a sportsperson, you get to learn so many things, and the most important learning and the most important thing for me was to bluff in front of my teammates, bluff in front of the Aussies, and bluff in front of the media."
He would then bring a very cliche argument into play. 'Do it for the people who were not fortunate enough to play in this team.' In theory, it should've brought little motivation to the team that was already in knee-deep trouble. Besides, a sudden change in captaincy was bound to bring sour sentiments.
But miraculously, none of that happened. In fact, the team bounced back in the very next match to even the score with the Aussies. And Rahane made a massive contribution to that victory. In the first inning itself, he scored a century to help India score a lead over the Aussies.
In the final two tests of the BGT, the Indian cricket team maintained their fighting spirit till the last moment. They were able to draw the test when they were facing a target of 407 runs in the third test. And when the new year arrived, Indian brought home the shining trophy by chasing down 328 runs for the fourth and final test match.