Following Rahane's 'purely instinctive' claims in the Australia series, Ashwin's YouTube comment praising Shastri goes viral

On Friday, senior Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane revealed that someone else was responsible for decisions he made during the recent tour that saw the absence of many notable regulars, including Virat Kohli. Rahane was part of the team that won a remarkable comeback series against Australia last January. Twitter went viral with a video of former cricket coach Ravi Shastri praising R Ashwin in an old video after the revelations shocked the sports world.

Indian fortunes in the Test series turned around on Boxing Day in Melbourne. As Rahane explained in the recent interview with Backstage with Boria, India’s comeback win was bolstered by some crucial bowling decisions by him. According to Ashwin, the former India head coach told Rahane to use him in the first 10 overs during a YouTube video he posted earlier last year. “Introducing Ashwin in the ninth over was pure instinct, and it worked really well. Both Wade and Smith were dismissed within two overs. After that, I wouldn’t say the game completely shifted in our favor, but I must admit I made that decision solely based on instinct. I felt I should use Ashwin in Melbourne and the time now after the pacers went about doing their jobs in the first three or four overs,” Rahane stated.

“I know my part very well and I don’t need to prove anyone. Taking credit is not my style. Several things I made decisions about on the field or in the dressing room were credited to someone else. All that mattered to me was winning the series. I found the series to be very interesting and enjoyed it greatly,” he concluded.