You need to keep an arm around guy who is not doing well: Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane has tried to implement a new tactic to his leadership role in order to captain a young Mumbai side in the Ranji Trophy. Even though Ajinkya Rahane has not been having a fine time with the bat in recent times, the same cannot be said about his captaincy and how he has led the Mumbai team till now in the Ranji.

Some might say, his job has been made easy by the young batters in the team and how well they have contributed to the side’s winning run. Rahane scored a brilliant century against Assam which was much needed for his confidence going into the crucial game against Delhi. He looked good against Delhi on day one as well but faltered to a good ball and was caught brilliantly around the gully region. 

Rahane has shown signs of a great captain for both India and Mumbai over the past few years. Even in  pre-match interaction of Delhi game, with the media, he added-

 “Obviously, Mumbai will play like Mumbai only. But our focus is to play one game at a time. What has happened in the past, that’s gone. Start fresh for every game and take confidence from the previous ones. Also, we respect our opponents and play to our strengths.”

“It’s important to back each and every individual in the team. I always believe that you have to put your arm around a guy who is not doing well or going through a rough patch. It’s important to give them that kind of confidence, give them that freedom, not only on the field but off the field. He can come to me and talk to me about whatever he wants or what’s going on in his personal life. So, I always give that freedom to my players," he added.

Rahane also said that he has been trying a few things with his battings and wants to bat like the way he batted when he was young. Rahane, still can get into the Indian side provided he has a great first-class season but there are others from his Mumbai team as well who are knocking on the door. The likes of Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan have been excellent till now but failed to get a spot in the Team India squad for the Border Gavaskar trophy. 

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