IPL 2019 | Ajinkya Rahane leads with a unique approach, says Paddy Upton

The Rajasthan Royals captain, who took over Steve Smith’s mantle after the latter was banned following the Sandpaper gate, had a decent outing in the last edition of the Indian Premier League. Not only did he finish with a tally of 370 runs but also managed to take his side to the playoffs. 

Both Jinx, as he is called by his teammates fondly, and Virat Kohli, who has shared the same dressing room at the international level with Rahane for years now, would face off against in the Indian Premier League. The Mumbaikar has also been the deputy to Virat Kohli in the red ball setup, and consequently, comparisons did crop up with regard to each other’s captaincy. Rajasthan Royals coach Paddy Upton shared his views on the same.

"You get players who are naturally big-pictured and strategically minded individuals and they make good on-field captains and then you get some who are very good people leaders and inspire other players. Each captain brings a different quality with their leadership which then needs to be balanced by other senior players,” said the South African, as reported by IANS.

The 30-year-old batsman has captained India in two Tests, managing to win in both the matches. After being elevated as the captain of the Jaipur-based franchise in the previous edition, he has won 7 games and lost the same, which was a decent record given the volatile nature of T20 cricket.

Despite Kohli being India’s saviour more often than not, his captaincy skills have been questioned many times. Rahane, on the other hand, has shown calmness and composure, keeping his emotions in check. And Upton felt that both of them have their own style of leading a side. 

"Rahane has his own unique way of reading and understanding the game and dealing with people. His personality is very different from that of Virat Kohli so they have their own unique strengths," Upton added.

When asked about the pressure that Rahane would face in his second stint as the captain, especially after the return of Steve Smith, Upton said, "I think it will actually be less pressure as the first time you have to adjust a lot more and now there is more comfort, so I feel he will be more at home."