'Ravi Shastri said 'get the ball in the first 10 overs'' - R Ashwin's old video resurfaces after Ajinkya Rahane's 'someone else took credit' remark

Ajinkya Rahane had led India exceptionally well in the 2020-21 Australia series where they came back strongly after the Adelaide debacle to win the four-match series 2-1. It seemed to be an uphill task for the Indian team after losing the pink-ball Test in an embarrassing manner, registering their lowest-ever Test score of 36 and then skipper Virat Kohli leaving midway for the birth of their first child.

A spirited Team India then staged a comeback of all ages under Rahane and ensured that they were not at the receiving end anymore in that series. Lately, the former Test vice-captain has said that it was his decision to introduce senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin into the attack at a crucial phase in the MCG Test where the latter got two important wickets. However, Ashwin had credited then-coach Ravi Shastri for that strategy in an old video of his YouTube channel while he was interacting with former fielding coach R Sridhar.

“Ravi Shastri came into the dressing room and boomed, ‘ASSHHHH, get the ball in the first 10 overs’. I was just wearing my pants. I thought ‘in Melbourne he wants me to bowl in the first 10 overs’. It might be damp, it might spin, I have told Jinks (Rahane)’. Bumrah bowled a good spell. Jinks then gave me the ball and the first ball I bowled, it spun a lot and bounced as well. I was like wow,” Ashwin had said in an video on his official YouTube channel.

I don’t need to tell anyone what I did: Ajinkya Rahane

“Bringing Ashwin in the ninth over was completely instinctive and that played off really well. It got Matthew Wade out and Steve Smith out in two overs. I won’t say that it completely turned the game in our favor after that but I will admit that was a decision which was purely on instinct. The wicket was looking damp. After the pacers went about in the first three-four overs I felt I should use Ashwin in Melbourne and the time in now,” said Rahane while speaking on Backstage with Boria.

At the same time, the Mumbai cricketer also stated that “somebody else” is getting undue credit for his hard work and strategy in the series but, also said he knows what he has done and need not justify it to anyone.

“I know how I have performed and I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, and that’s not in my nature to go out there and take credit. However, there were a few decisions that I personally had to make on the field but the credit went to someone else,” Rahane recently said.