Rahane a rare balance of intent and solid technique: Virat Kohli

New Delhi: India Test captain Virat Kohli on Monday hailed ‘Man of the Match’ Ajinkya Rahane, terming him as one with rare qualities of “intent backed by solid technique”. The skipper shared a 154-run fifth wicket stand with Rahane and said batting with the Mumbaikar was more satisfying than his own knock of 88. “I enjoy batting with him (Rahane). We had some really good partnerships in the past as well. What I like about him is that his intent is really good backed by solid technique, which is a rare balance. To find that balance early in the career is a commendable effort,” Kohli, who was effusive in his praise for one of the superstars in the line-up, said. “He has played some very important knocks for us in the last couple of years. Because of that, he is probably one of the most important people in our middle order. He is just growing in stature and confidence. I enjoyed batting more with him than me getting to 80 plus score, because partnerships are something we aim for. We hadn’t got a 100-run stand, we wanted to string in a good one. We communicated well,” said the captain. For him, the stand with Rahane would now be an example of how to bat and wriggle out of crunch situations. “It was 57/4 and if you lose another wicket, then target will be around 300-315, which is a tricky total with two days to go. We had a discussion that although we are up in the series, we still need to enjoy and learn from this situation for future games. I told him that ‘if me and you bat through this situation and build a big partnership, that will give us confidence in doing that in crunch games as well, that we need to do that thing’,” revealed Kohli. Kohli said that at no point of time did he feel that he was missing Amit Mishra, especially when it looked that South Africans will stretch that to a draw and he introduced Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara in the attack. [caption id=“attachment_2536490” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane in a file photo. Getty[/caption] “Not at all. I think, we were able to use our part timers because South Africa were batting so slowly. There was no sort of approach where it looked that they wanted to score. So it was easy to rest my main bowlers and use the part-timers. “It was surprising to find the way they came out and decided to start defending from ball one. That helped into bring in part-timers and keep my main bowlers fresh as well,” he explained. However, Kohli said that he found nothing wrong with South Africa’s approach in trying to save the match. “It’s a personal strategy from a team. Way we batted and bowled in second innings, people would have enjoyed as we came out of both difficult occasions. Let’s speak about that rather than commenting on whether they batted in spirit of the game. We also block boundaries when shots are played. That’s their choice, the way they want to come out and save the game.” Kohli believes that this win will have a positive impact on the young team. “It has a positive and huge impact on the mindset of players, because as I said, it all started in Australia because of the kind of belief with which we went there and the kind of cricket that we played there. It gave us the confidence that we can beat any side in the world.” “That sort of mindset is important to win Tests and series. If you win one Test match, it can turn around pretty quickly. We saw that in Sri Lanka. That was major boost for our mental set-up. This is the icing on the cake. An achievement we can be proud of,” the skipper added lauding his players. “Ashwin, Umesh, Varun, Mishra, our top four batsmen are not so far away from each other. Everyone is contributing, which is essence of any good team, that’s why we have been able to win the last two series,” he said. Talking about Australia, Kohli feels that the kind of fight they put on Down Under set the tone for this young side. “Test cricket has been one format where we all have wanted to do well. Like to give credit to the team to show character and bounce back in last two series like the way we have. I feel that it all began in Australia for us, the way we played there. We showed character even in defeats. We had a few plans, rules things that we needed to do in order to do well and gave everyone responsibility that you have to give your 110 percent effort every single day. “You are being honest to work ethics team requires going out there to play the best cricket that one can play. Not focusing on opposition too much, not on what people were saying. We focused on our skills. Strong bond that team requires,” the skipper explained. Captaincy, Kohli admits is not an easy job as one also needs to be patient at times. “When a team keeps winning, confidence automatically grows. Captaincy is not an easy job as you do have challenging situations. You have to maintain your focus, wait for that half chance, as too many changes send wrong message, you need to stay focused. “That one wicket will come at some stage and after that you can cash in on with your aggressive mindset. It’s about not panicking when things don’t go your way. “I have enjoyed it (captaincy). I relish making plans with bowlers, as when it comes off, that particular feeling is hard to explain. I like the fact that I am always involved in things, active, it fits me perfectly,” said Kohli. There was a question on styles of captaincy with a mild hint towards former Test captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s style without naming him but Kohli gave a diplomatic reply. And that too without taking Dhoni’s name even once. “Well tried,” he laughed. “I have my own style. That exactly what happens when different individuals are captaining. Not as if it doesn’t work. Different people have different ways of making it work. I don’t think we should compare two individuals when they are playing for the same country,” he said. PTI