India lifted the Champions Trophy in Dubai, amidst tumultuous jubilation & celebratory outpourings not only here but with Indian diaspora across continents starting in Dubai. For our ‘Men in Blue’ heroes, who won hearts by the billions, notably a subtle shift has taken place in the minds of fans & followers as to what attributes they should possess to remain World Champions. The aggressive intent of English ‘Baz ball’ is still relevant but what worked was calm composure in the middle and playing to the ‘match situation’ as was exemplified by ‘Rohit’s leadership’ and steely steadiness in Iyer, KL Rahul & others !
There’s huge applause coming the way of players who are dashers, flashy and cavalier in their slam-bang approach (which is order of the day(& night) in T20 Cricket !). But in longer versions of the game and in Tests, batters have to put their heads down and apply themselves when dire situations arise and the middle order has to manage the crises of a top order collapse. Rahul Dravid ‘The Wall’ was a perfect example of this in the 1990s as were doughty Cheteshwar Pujara and resilient Ajinkya Rahane not so long ago. Can one forget that Rahane led the Indian team from the front (along with Pujara & others) to an iconic series win against the Aussies in famous Down Under tour of Dec.’20-Jan21 !
To cricket buffs, their exclusion from Indian teams in all formats, has been surprising since many seniors have continued despite their advancing years. As an old saying goes ‘If you can’t beat them, then join them!’- for Rahane, a change from classical batting style to achieve six-hitting prowess in IPL. Thanks to MSD’s role, CSK franchise bid for Rahane in 2024. He then smashed his way as an opener in many of the matches. In the recent past, Ajinkya has led his Alma mater Mumbai team to a well fought Ranji Trophy victory ! Last year’s IPL Champions KKR have decided to go with the 36 year old Rahane as their Captain for his maturity & experience in 2025 Edition starting on 22nd March.
‘Good guys don’t always finish last’ and Rahane, despite being soft-spoken and gentle is a Black Belt in Judo & knows how to fight. It’s reported he’s learning a bit of Bengali too. He has the likes of Andre Russel, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer & Rinku Singh all match winners and some talented youngsters for company. The Bengali fans would now chant for the new KKR Captain in the popular vein of a favorite Ray film “Joy Baba Ajinko’ !
Working on Living 