Ajinkya Rahane will give us reason to be proud of him: Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar and Ajinkya Rahane playing for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy

Sachin Tendulkar had words of praise for India’s stand-in captain for the Zimbabwe tour, Ajinkya Rahane, wishing him the best on his promotion. Rahane will be the first India captain from Mumbai in 15 years since Sachin himself was temporarily named captain in 2000.

India have had captains from Mumbai for the majority of the 70s and 80s in Ajit Wadekar and Sunil Gavaskar, and current Mumbai players Rohit Sharma and Rahane are both popular candidates for the post, but it is unlikely that the axis of power shall be shifted from Delhi’s Virat Kohli anytime soon.

"I feel very happy for Ajinkya. He is a sincere and hardworking cricketer. I have always been impressed with his commitment and dedication. I am sure he will give his best and give us a reason to be proud of him. I wish him all the best," said Tendulkar.

Rahane has little experience as captain: Agarkar

Some eyebrows have also been raised at Rahane’s appointment, coming as it is after he was dropped from the playing XI for the last two One-dayers in the recent Bangladesh ODI series on grounds of him being unable to rotate strike on slow pitches.

Another Mumbaikar Ajit Agarkar expressed his surprise at Rahane’s elevation and said, “He is a calm character, although he has not had a lot of experience as a captain. We would have to wait and see how he reacts to this role.”

Rahane has not had much experience as captain, having led the Mumbai side once in a T20 match in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and once in List A match in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

He has been handed the captaincy because senior players MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin have all been rested for the Zimbabwe tour. India are scheduled to play three ODIs in Harare (July 10, 12 and 14) followed by a couple of Twenty20 Internationals (July 17 and 19).