Ajinkya Rahane opened up about India’s 36 all-out in the 2020/21 BGT series. He said, "I was nervous, frankly. I will be really honest." After the Adelaide loss, many felt India would lose 4-0. Rahane led the team, stayed calm, and started a famous comeback to win the series.
We lost the game in Adelaide and then everyone started talking about that 'India will probably lose 4-0': said Rahane
When Rishabh Pant scored that boundary to register a historic win at Gabba, breaching the fortress after 32 years, it was rosy in the end, but that 2020/21 series initially had quite a thorny part.
When the pink-ball Test in Adelaide started, India were in a decent position after Day 1. Even after both sides completed their first innings, the game was balanced, and then the unthinkable happened: India got bowled out for just 36 runs.
"I remember one thought in my head about when we lost the game in Adelaide and then everyone started talking about that 'India will probably lose 4-0' and 'there is no chance for the Indian team," Ajinkya Rahane said while speaking at an event in Mumbai.
If that created a massive confidence dent, what added salt to the wounds was that, even before the tour started, talisman and skipper Virat Kohli said he would leave after the first game. The responsibility to lead the series fell on Rahane; the iconic Melbourne Test followed, and the famous comeback started.
Leading the way, Rahane scored a century in the Test, opening up about his emotional state. The 38-year-old now opens up about the nervousness he felt after the game but had to put on a mask for his teammates.
"I was nervous, frankly. I will be really honest. But as a sportsperson, you get to learn so many things and the most important learning and the most important thing for me was to bluff in front of my teammates, bluff in front of the Aussies, and bluff in front of the media," Rahane said.
"I remember talking to my teammates and I said, 'Oh, we are the lucky ones to be here representing our country. There are so many guys wanting to play for India, but at times, luck plays a massive part in our careers," Rahane added.
"And so let us play for those guys who never got an opportunity to play for India, and for those who were aspiring to play for India in the future," Rahane further said.