Ajinkya Rahane in 2021, Steve Smith in 2023How stand-in captains inspired comebacks in away BGT series

By Saurabh KumarFew challenges in cricket are as difficult as being captain of a world-class team – and it gets even tougher when one is tasked with the responsibility of leading a team temporarily that is down and out in a mentally, physically and tactically challenging Test series between India and Australia. What if you were told that two men did fare exceptionally well with the tag of stand-in skippers and the burden of the entire nation’s expectations? Well, this is not fantasy but a tale of Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smithtwo tactically astute and determined stand-in captains who inspired comebacks in the Border-Gavaskar series away from home.

STEVE SMITH & AJINKYA RAHANECAPTAINCY PARALLEL’S

India looked down and out in the BGT series 2020-21 when they were bowled out for just 36 in the day-night Test in Adelaide. Virat Kohli also flew back to India after that defeat to be with his wife, as they were expecting the birth of their first child. Rahane, 32, took over from Kohli after India’s humiliating opening loss in Adelaide and masterminded a spectacular return against Tim Paine’s Australians.

Rahane led India in the remaining three matches and scripted a famous comeback that resulted in a series win as well. He also played a pivotal role in their victory in Melbourne as he scored a match-winning century and thus led them from the front. The whole Indian team became national heroes with their 2-1 series victory sealed in the dramatic finale in Brisbane on Tuesday, where no team had beaten Australia in 32 years.

India vs Australia, Indore TestHighlights

On the other hand, Steve Smith was asked to lead Australia when the team had lost the chance to regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy after suffering back-to-back three-day defeats in Nagpur and Delhi, regular captain Pat Cummins had returned to Australia to look after his sick mother and criticism from all quarters raised severe doubts about a comeback from the tourists.

Mind you, Steve Smith was going to lead an Australian Test side in India after six years. A six-year period that started with the Smith-led side winning the Pune Test but then surrendering the series 2-1 in 2017, and later saw the Australians losing back-to-back Test series under Tim Paine in their home conditions (2018-19 and 2020-21), and then Pat Cummins taking over the captaincy from the wicketkeeper and suffering humiliating defeats in the first two Tests.

However, Smith’s temporary return to captaincy couldn’t have gone any better. Australia set the tone from the first ball of the first day. Despite losing the toss, which was the only thing going against them, they restricted India to 109 runs in their first innings. Losing seven wickets in the first session after electing to bat was where things went wrong, and while India regained their mojo early on Day 2, picking up six wickets for 11 runs, it wasn’t enough to mask their collective failure as a batting unit. If Matthew Kuhnemann was their star in the first innings, picking up a maiden five-wicket haul, Nathan Lyon’s legend grew in the second, as the off-spinner rocked India with an 8-wicket haul, dismissing them for 163 and keeping the target to as low as 76. Australia went on to win the Test by 9 wickets with no further hiccups.

Rahane’s situation was dire as he took over a team marred with injuries to almost all first-team players. Smith, on the other hand, was bolstered by the return of all-rounder Cameron Green and Australia’s most successful seamer of this era, Mitchell Starc, as well as a batting core that included himself, Marnus Labuschagne, and Usman Khawaja. Despite this, the parallels are striking.

Both the sides (India in the 2021 series and Australia in the 2023 Indore Test) maintained a remarkable level of calm throughout, not allowing the opposition or even off-field events to get under its skin. There was no yelling or snarling. Just a quiet determination to finish the job. The emphasis was on the outcome of the game, and it was almost as if every member, young and old, recognised this.

The Indore Test win may not have decided the result of the ongoing series, but it has definitely given the tourists a chance to make a comeback. Smith-inspired Australia has made a one-sided BGT series spicier, thrilling, and competitive. Smith’s assumption of captaincy may have been purely coincidental, but it looks like the salve Australia needed to soothe their wounds, much like Rahane to India in 2021.