Ajinkya Rahane might be quiet but that doesn’t mean he isn’t aggressive: Deep Dasgupta

After a dreadful outing in Adelaide, Team India bounced back with a majestic performance Down Under in the second Test match. The four-match Border-Gavaskar Test series is now all square with two more matches to be played, both the nations will be looking to get their hands on the coveted trophy. As they say, responsibility to lead the side makes one a better player, stand-in captain, Ajinkya Rahane did just that by scoring a brilliant ton in the first innings of the second Test match. Rahane's 112 was crucial for India to establish a 131-run lead against the hosts.

Former cricketer turned commentator Deep Dasgupta showered rich praises on the 32-year-old Mumbai batsman.

“I knew he could do it, there’s no two ways. And it’s not just about him, there are other leaders as well. I have been an Ajinkya fan not just after his international debuts but from his first-class days because you could see someone special there,” Dasgupta told Sports Today.

Jinks may be quiet on the field, but the way he possesses his ability to attack in terms of leading the side shows his skill to handle the things.

“He might be quiet but that doesn’t mean he isn’t aggressive. He might be less expressive than someone like Virat, but he is equally aggressive, equally attacking, the way he thinks and handles himself. It’s just that he keeps quiet. But I have seen him leading us well. We all have seen him leading India before. We all remember how he led the team in Dharamsala. He was attacking in his mindset; his bowling changes were attacking. His team, again, was very attacking. So, I think, if you look back and see… you will get hints that he is someone who is very, very aggressive in his mindset. Obviously, his batting tells you that… the way he bats, counter-attacking more often when India is not in trouble," he said.

A collective performance helped India win the 2nd Test.

“I didn’t really have any doubt that he can get this team together. Also, credit to the other leaders who all stood up – starting from Pujara to Ashwin to Bumrah, and Rahane got all of them together," he said.

Ashwin and Bumrah took the leadership roles when it was India's turn to bowl

“When India were bowling, the bowling captain seemed to be someone else. It wasn’t Ajinkya running up to the bowlers all the time. It was Ashwin or Bumrah speaking to other bowlers; Ashwin predominantly," he added.

“So, you got everyone involved in it and that is so important. Under crisis you have to get everyone involved and make everyone a stakeholder,” Deep Dasgupta concluded.