Ajinkya Rahane joins Kapil Dev, Sourav Ganguly in elite group of Indian captains after SCG Test
Ajinkya Rahane has earned appreciation from all corners of the cricket world for his brilliant captaincy in the India vs Australia Test series. The Indian cricket team pulled off a remarkable draw, under his leadership, in Sydney on Monday (January 11).
Courtesy of this result, Ajinkya Rahane has become the third Indian captain after Kapil Dev and Sourav Ganguly to remain unbeaten in his first two Tests as a skipper Down Under.
The Indian cricket team defeated Australia by eight wickets under Rahane's captaincy at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Today, India did not allow Australia a victory in Sydney.
Under Kapil Dev's captaincy, the Indian cricket team had drawn the first two Tests of the 1985/86 Australian tour. Meanwhile, when Sourav Ganguly captained India for the first time Down Under in 2003-04, the visitors drew the Test in Brisbane before defeating Australia by four wickets in Adelaide.
However, Virat Kohli lost his first Test as a captain Down Under. In 2018-19 though, Kohli became the first Asian captain to win a Test series against Australia away from home.
Ajinkya Rahane's men impress with a phenomenal performance in Sydney
Ajinkya Rahane led his side from the front with a century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. However, in the SCG Test's fourth innings, Rahane lost his wicket early. Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, and Ravichandran Ashwin had the onus of avoiding a defeat.
All four batsmen showed fantastic composure and resilience as the Indian cricket team ended the innings on 334/5. Both teams shook hands after the 131st over as the 4-match ICC World Test Championship series between India and Australia stood at 1-1.