Rahane wants Dhoni’s cool, Virat’s aggro

New Delhi, June 30 

Named captain for the tour of Zimbabwe, Ajinkya Rahane says he would like to take MS Dhoni’s calmness and Virat Kohli’s controlled aggression to the field when he wears the skipper’s hat in the upcoming limited-overs series.

Over the years, Rahane has played under various captains, namely Rahul Dravid, Dhoni and Kohli.

Asked what he would like to imbibe from them, Rahane said, “Playing under Dhoni, I observed how he remained calm on the field. He has a very calm way of handling situations. I would like to take that quality from him. From Virat, I would like to borrow his controlled aggression. You can see that quality in his batting and his captaincy. Finally, Rahul bhai is someone who likes to keep things really simple on the field. I got to know that while playing under him in the IPL.”

The 27-year-old batsman, who had led the Mumbai U-19 side in the past, though has his own ideas as far as captaincy is concerned. “I have my own set of ideas and I know what I have to do on the field. Obviously, I have others to help me out as well and I wouldn’t mind running up to them for advice,” said Rahane.

Talking about the tour, he said, “As a captain, I believe it is always important to back your players and give them confidence. I want to lead by example and be positive at all times. It is a challenge to lead a side that doesn’t have the services of the seniors, but every international tour is challenging. We take every opposition seriously and Zimbabwe is no different.”

Asked about how he would like to lead the side, Rahane said, “As a captain you have to assess the situations and conditions, and analyse every opposition. We will actually get a good idea of how to strategise when we meet as a group and jot down our plans in Zimbabwe. I am looking forward to backing my instincts and my style of leadership. “I also have the experience of Harbhajan Singh in the side whose guidance will be of great help. I have learnt from every captain I have played under.” — PTI