Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma have grown as leaders: Sulakshan Kulkarni

NAGPUR: A good leader generally knows the way to success and inspires others to follow the same path. Ajinkya Rahane has done that during the Melbourne Test, inspiring a depleted India to a historic comeback victory. Since then the whole world is showering praises on Rahane’s leadership qualities.
When Rahane takes the field to lead India in Sydney, it will be an emotional moment for Sulakshan Kulkarni, who had coached the captain and the vice-captain of the team, Rohit Sharma, in their junior days.

This will be only the second occasion in India when the captain and vice-captain of the country will be from the same first-class team. The first time it happened was during the India-West Indies series, when Dilip Vengsarkar was captain and Ravi Shastri his deputy.

Kulkarni, a former Mumbai wicketkeeper batsman, has seen both Rahane and Rohit grow as players and leaders, not only in Mumbai but also in the Indian Oil Corporation set up in the Times Shield tournament. It was the Rahane-Kulkarni combination that helped Mumbai win the prestigious Cooch Behar Trophy in 2007-08. Much before that he had seen the glimpses of leadership quality in Rahane.
India stand-in Test skipper Ajinkya Rahane (extreme left standing) and vice-captain Rohit Sharma (standing second from right) with coach Sulakshan Kulkarni (third from left) in the Indian Oil Corporation set up. Also seen is India No. 3 Cheteshwar Pujara (standing third from left).
Kulkarni, also a former Mumbai, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh coach, still remembers 16-year-old Rahane’s fantastic innings against a strong team that had Ranji Trophy players from Maharashtra in an all India tournament in Nashik in 2004-05.
Kulkarni’s team was given the target of 260 in 40 overs. “In those days, it was a big ask, especially for a young team like ours. When I asked the players about their plans to achieve the target, there was pin drop silence in the dressing room. Rahane, who was the baby of the team that time, explained the plan and expressed confidence to achieve the target,” Kulkarni said.
“One batsman needs to anchor the innings, while others will have to rally around him. We need two good partnerships and we can achieve the target without taking much of a risk,” the youngster told his coach.
Rahane matched his words with deeds, remained unbeaten on 130 to see his side through comfortably. “His strokeplay, compactness, understanding of the game situation and the way he finished the game with ease, convinced me that he has leadership qualities. The spectators carried him all the way to the pavilion on their shoulders,” Kulkarni said.
A couple of years later, Rahane was leading the Mumbai Under-19 side under the guidance of Kulkarni. “In those days, the Cooch Behar Trophy was a three-day affair. We had very strong teams in our group and all the teams had won the championships in the last five years. It was very difficult to register an outright victory. We had lost the first match to Maharashtra. Even to qualify, we needed to win some matches outright,” Kulkarni explained.
Mumbai formed a strategy which the Australians were successfully implementing. “Playing aggressive was the mantra”. The plan was to score at decent pace and allow bowlers sufficient time to take 20 wickets. The plan clicked as Mumbai went on to win the championship.
“What impressed me was his aggression and calmness at the same time. He executed the plans to perfection and also made some brilliant field placing. While he is still shy, Ajinkya is a strong character from inside. He loves challenges and generally thrives on them. If you see his career, he has always performed when it mattered for the team,” Kulkarni said.
While Rahane had experience of leadership at the junior level, Rohit hardly led any side. It was during a Times Shield match against DY Patil, when he was 20, that Rohit led the IOC. “We decided to give him captaincy. Rohit may look casual from outside but he has great game sense. He understands what’s going on and what needs to be done in different situations. The wicket was pretty good one to bat on and he utilized his fast bowlers very well. Not only he led the side well but also scored a brilliant hundred, which clearly showed that responsibilities don’t affect him," Kulkarni said.
Kulkarni had another interesting anecdote about Rohit’s leadership quality. This was during a Ranji Trophy game between Mumbai and Railways during 2011-12 season. Rohit was the vice-captain of Mumbai, led by Wasim Jaffer.
“Rohit was batting with Suryakumar Yadav, who was playing only his second season. Murali Kartik was going after Surya with sledging. Rohit stepped in and advised Surya to avoid engaging in verbal volleys with Kartik. He advised Surya to go after Kartik without saying a word. Rohit’s brilliant 175 and his stand with Surya won us the game by 10 wickets. That incident showed he was maturing as a player, who was willing to take the responsibility,” said the former Mumbai batsman.
Two years later, Rohit won his first IPL title as a captain for Mumbai Indians. Since then, he has won four more titles and is regarded as one of the best captains. Kulkarni said calmness under pressure set both Rohit and Rahane apart. “They have this amazing quality to keep the dressing room calm. With Rohit and Rahane in charge, players would know they can play freely and express themselves,” Kulkarni signed off.