Ajinkya Rahane Says Focus Not On Him But The Team Ahead Of Boxing Day Test | Cricket News

Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane on Friday said it is a proud moment for him to captain India, adding that the job will be a mix of opportunities and responsibilities. Regular skipper Virat Kohli will be unavailable for the rest of the series as he is back home on paternity leave. Rahane, who has the experience of leading India on numerous occasions, said the focus is not him but on how well the team performs as a unit after going down 1-0 in the Test series. “It’s a proud moment for me to captain India and obviously it’s a great opportunity and responsibility as well. I don’t want to take any pressure and I want to back my team,” Rahane said in a virtual press conference on the eve of the Boxing Day Test.

“As a team we need to do well so focus is not on me, it’s on the team and how we need to do well in Australia – we are focusing on that,” he added.

Australia has always been known for sledging their opponents but Rahane wants his players to focus on themselves without paying much attention to the hosts.

“Australians are very good at playing mind games. We are just focusing on ourselves, we will back ourselves as a team as a unit,” Rahane said.

Rahane, who was India’s third-highest run-scorer in the pink-ball Test, said he has learned to back his instinct from his previous experiences.

Rahane had led India to an eight-wicket victory in 2017 against Australia in the fourth Test in Dharamsala.

“From the 2017 Dharamsala Test I learned that backing your instinct, backing your methods, and staying true to your style (is the right approach),” he said.

Meanwhile, India have named the playing XI for the Boxing Day Test against Australia, starting on Saturday. They have made four changes to the team that played in the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval.

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Shubman Gill comes in for Prithvi Shaw, Ravindra Jadeja for Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant for Wriddhiman Saha, and Mohammed Siraj for Mohammad Shami.

Team India XI: Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj