He always liked people coming after him – Ajinkya Rahane on his bond with Virat Kohli

Team India will be back in action in less than 10 days as they square off against Sri Lanka in the latter's backyard. The last time India were in Sri Lanka playing a Test, it was nine years ago, and their top order looked entirely different.

The top order featured the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. The duo of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane saw off countless such battles, both back home and miles away from it. The two knitted together some excellent stands, allowing India to build significant totals against formidable opponents.

Talking on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Rahane opened up on his camaraderie with Virat Kohli. He highlighted how Kohli commanded the charge, and the kind of thoughts he usually batted with when partnering alongside Rahane.

The duo was one of the most successful pairs in Test cricket, racking up 3,661 runs together in 67 innings at an average of 56.32, with ten century stands and 17 fifty-run partnerships.

Jinks said, "It is his mind and the calculation in his mind. But that's his secret. I've tried to ask him many times, but he does not give it away. He will not give you any clue. His ability to take calculated risks at the perfect time is the key. MS Dhoni was like that too. But the calculations in Virat's head were something else."

Reflecting on their bond, Jinks added, "We complemented each other very well because of his aggressive nature and my calm nature. The reason behind our successful partnerships was the positive and frank communication. We had many good partnerships against Australia. And in those, whenever Virat thought of going against a particular bowler and if my response was positive, he would do it better."

He further added, "Virat always liked people coming after him. And he used to ask me if he should sledge the opposition player back. I would tell him, 'Yes, go for it' as that's what worked for him. Our camaraderie was great, and we used to spend a lot of time with each other even off the field. We used to talk a lot about cricket, which you don't see nowadays. He was always positive and used to tell me never to hesitate in attacking a bowler."

Jinks concluded by saying, "He was always positive. He said, 'Just play your game'. For me, naturally I was.. I'm an attacking cricketer, attacking batsman. So he said, 'If you feel like going after a particular bowler, don't hesitate at all'. So he was always positive. He never told me, 'Okay, let's see how it feels, let's see, or take out 10-15 balls and then play your game'. 'If you feel like going after the first ball, go for it.'"