“He molded them into a team of winners” – Shashi Tharoor goes gaga over Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy

Shashi Tharoor praised Ajinkya Rahane's captaincy and the way he rallied his troops following India's Adelaide loss. The politician referred to Rahane's unbeaten record as Test skipper, paying tribute to his leadership skills.

Fans and experts alike have praised Ajinkya Rahane's captaincy after he led India to a 2-1 series win in Australia. The skipper took over from Virat Kohli in disastrous circumstances but turned it around entirely as India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Speaking to Indranil Basu on SK Live, Shashi Tharoor expounded how Ajinkya Rahane's leadership style got the best out of India.

“I want to pay a special tribute to Ajinkya Rahane. He’s captained India 5 times and never lost. But what is particularly striking about his captaincy is that he took a team that was dismissed as no-hopers, including some raw, inexperienced players and he moulded them into a team of winners.”

Ajinkya Rahane was on point with everything he did as captain. The skipper impressed as a captain in testing conditions from field placements to bowling changes.

The way he supported the youngsters on the Indian side was also commendable, giving them the confidence to express themselves and win matches.

Shashi Tharoor pointed out how Ajinkya Rahane led the Indian team in an understated manner. He was impressed with how Rahane led from the front with a century in Melbourne, with the captain finishing as India’s third-highest scorer with 268 runs in four games.

“He did so in a quiet, understated style. No flamboyance, no flashy and flair, no thumping of his chest. No shouting visibly at players."

Shashi Tharoor in awe of Ajinkya Rahane’s special gesture

Proud to be a part of this unit 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/bZZupXEAfE

— Ajinkya Rahane (@ajinkyarahane88) January 19, 2021

Shashi Tharoor also referred to the post-match comments as he continued his praise for Ajinkya Rahane. The public figure talked about how Rahane gave players like Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant the freedom to play their natural game.

He also celebrated the team spirit cultivated by Ajinkya Rahane, as he pointed out to a particular moment after India beat Australia in Brisbane.

“When he was presented the trophy for having won the series, he called the entire team over to join him and he handed it over to the most junior member of the team, T Natarajan to be the first one to hold it. What an extraordinary gesture. A great leader is one who gives ownership of his greatest triumph to his teammates. He sees them as stakeholders and not subordinates.”

Moments to cherish for #TeamIndia 🇮🇳#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/Ujppsb3nfU

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 19, 2021

If you're a fan of the Indian cricket team, how have you been celebrating their momentous victory? Sound off in the comments.