Give Ajinkya Rahane and Co more credit

Updated On: 03 January, 2021 04:34 PM IST | Mumbai | Michael Jeh

Had we witnessed an Australia comeback like India, meaningless cliches from their media would have been thrown around, as if such human qualities had a uniquely Aussie trait to them

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Ajinkya Rahane (centre) celebrates with teammates after Australia`s Steven Smith is dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah (second from left) on Day Three of the second Test at the MCG on Monday. Pic/Getty Images

Michael Jeh There is a saying that Indians know how to shout with their eyes. It is of course a cultural stereotype that lends itself to clever poetry but if Ajinkya Rahane`s reaction to his run-out at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was anything to go by, that myth has been shattered. His calm, dignified response was exactly what India needed at a time when a sense of deja vu must surely have been in the minds of the Indian camp. Not again-not another coincidence-the captain, batting at No. 4, top scorer, in the middle of a crucial partnership, needlessly run-out responding to a sharp single. But despite what Rahane himself may have been thinking, his unflinching demeanour did wonders for the Indian spirit. A moment of true leadership genius.

Cultural stereotypes

Speaking of cultural stereotypes, if the Australians had come back from being all out for 36, missing their talismanic, world-class captain and their senior fast bowler, the local commentators would be waxing lyrical about that famed Aussie grit, that fighting spirit, that never-say-die attitude. All of those meaningless cliches would have been thrown around, as if such human qualities had a uniquely Australian trait to them. It will be interesting to see if those same terms are used to describe one of the most courageous comebacks in Indian cricket history, easily rivalling the 1983 World Cup win or the Rahul Dravid-VVS Laxman partnership of 2001. Make no mistake-this performance, especially the second innings bowling effort sans Umesh Yadav, was as brave an effort as anything we will ever see from an Indian team on tour. I was one of those people who said openly (after the Adelaide debacle) that India would be crushed for the rest of the series. I fell for the cultural norms, believing that when the Aussies smelt blood in the water, they would rip India`s heart out. How wrong I was to discount the team harmony and fighting spirit that Rahane and Ravi Shastri must have inspired in the camp.

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