Rahane surprised to be named stand-in captain

Ajinkya Rahane is in charge of a second-string Indian squad for this month’s tour of Zimbabwe for three ODIs and two T20 internationals. (AFP)

Reuters/MumbaiAjinkya Rahane admits he was stunned to be named India captain for their upcoming Zimbabwe series, after being dropped just a week earlier, and while he plans to draw inspiration from past skippers he also wants to make his own mark on the team. Rahane, who averages a tad over 30 in one-day internationals, played the first of India’s three-match series against Bangladesh at Mirpur and scored nine off 25 balls as they went down by 79 runs. He was dropped for the next two matches, with regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni saying the 27-year-old’s batting was more suited to pitches offering more pace. But that did not stop India from putting Rahane in charge of a second-string squad for this month’s tour of Zimbabwe for three ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals while resting Dhoni and a host of other senior cricketers. “The decision of naming me captain did come as a surprise because I wasn’t thinking about captaincy ever,” Rahane, who has played 55 ODIs, told the Indian cricket board’s website (BCCI.TV). “I didn’t know how to react when I heard the news. Once the news slowly began to sink in, I became really confident of handling this new responsibility.” “I’m excited about this. It’s a new challenge and responsibility and I’m looking forward to it. Every cricketer’s dream is to play for the country and to captain India is the ultimate thing. Though it’s just for one series, I know how capable I am and believe in myself,” he addedThe 2-1 ODI series loss was India’s first to Bangladesh, and another loss against Zimbabwe would not go down well with the country’s cricket-crazy fans despite the lack of senior players in the touring party. Rahane, a regular in India’s Test side, has had the opportunity to play under Dhoni, new Test captain Virat Kohli and also former skipper Rahul Dravid while playing for the Rajasthan franchise in the Indian Premier League. He said he would tried to emulate different qualities from all of them. “Firstly, playing under MS Dhoni I would observe how he would be calm on the field. He has a very peculiar and calm way of handling situations,” the Mumbai batsman added. “I would like to take that quality from him. “What I would like to take from Virat Kohli would be controlled aggression. You can see that quality in his batting and his captaincy. And finally, Rahul is someone who likes to keep things really simple on the field, which I got to know while playing under him with the Rajasthan Royals. Having said that, I have my own set of ideas and I know what I have to do on the field.” “Every individual has his own style and I have my own style too, in whatever matches I have captained Mumbai. As a captain, it’s important to lead from the front and back your players. You have to be positive all the time and back your team.”Rahane has been an ODI regular for the last two years, but, by his own admission, he hasn’t been able to achieve consistency in the format. The tour of Zimbabwe gives him an opportunity to revive his ODI career barely weeks after he was dropped, but Rahane said that his focus would be on the team’s success rather than individual performance.“Consistency is an aspect I’m looking for in ODIs,” he said. “I’m in good form and captaincy will give me confidence to bat well. I know how to learn from my mistakes. My time is starting right now.“My aim is to keep looking after myself and respect the game. If I do all these things, the game will reward me. It’s always about process and how well I prepare. I open the batting for Mumbai and Rajasthan Royals, but the batting order is up to team management. I’m a team man and will always remain one. The team comes ahead of me and even as a captain, I’ll think about what is good for the team before myself.”