Former Indian captain Ajinkya Rahane gave his first interview since announcing his retirement as he featured on the Stick to Cricket podcast. He made a few big statements regarding Indian Test cricket. According to Rahane, the moment MS Dhoni stepped away from the longest format midway through the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia marked a genuine turning point. Virat Kohli took over the captaincy, Ravi Shastri was the head coach, and together they changed the way India approached Test cricket especially away from home. The biggest change was in the mindset during overseas tours. The former Mumbai batter said that the players were given confidence to play fearlessly and be proactive.
“When we started playing in our era, especially in Test cricket, I felt Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri were the guys who toughened up Indian cricket,” Rahane said. “Especially playing overseas, going aggressive, going bold rather than being defensive and slightly reactive. I think we were always proactive.”
He added that Kohli actively encouraged fearless batting: “Virat always told me, ‘If you feel like attacking from the very first ball, go for it.’ He gave players the confidence to play fearlessly.” That shift was visible once Kohli took over the captaincy. India stopped waiting for the opposition to make mistakes and started dictating terms. The results followed under the captaincy of Kohli with series wins in Australia, the climb to No. 1 in the ICC Test rankings, and a place in the inaugural World Test Championship final.
Ajinkya Rahane explains why his batting partnership with Virat Kohli worked so well
During Virat Kohli's tenure as captain, India climbed the rankings, won consecutive Test series in Australia including the famous 2020-21 comeback under Rahane’s leadership after Kohli left for the birth of his child. Rahane was right in the middle of that transformation as a key middle-order batter and later vice-captain, also revealing the freedom Kohli gave him at the crease.
“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,” Rahane said. Speaking about how Kohli thrived on confrontation, he said, “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.”
The former Indian cricketer went on to say that the same thought process extended to how Kohli encouraged his partner at the crease. “He was always positive, he said just play your game. If you feel like going after a particular bowler, don’t hesitate at all. He never told me to wait for 10 or 15 balls. If you feel like attacking from the first ball, go for it.”
The former batter formed one of India’s most reliable batting partnerships with Kohli, combining the captain’s fire with his own calm temperament. The duo scored 3,661 runs together in 67 innings at an impressive average of 56.32. The pair registered 10 century stands and 17 fifty-plus partnerships, with their highest being a massive 365-run stand against New Zealand in Indore in 2016.
