Blend of aggression & calmness helped partnership with Kohli flourish: Rahane

Newly-appointed Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has cited a perfect blend of aggression and calmness as the chief reason behind his solid partnership with captain Virat Kohli, which is gradually turning out to be the new 'trusted partnership' of the Indian batting line-up.

"As we continued to play together we understood and got an idea of each other's game and we have both been enjoying batting with each other. Running between the wickets and communication is very important, but how you do it also matters," Rahane was quoted as saying by bcci.tv. "You can communicate in various ways but positivity and having intent is very important when you are playing in the middle. He is aggressive and I am calm so that combination works for us. In a way I too am aggressive but I don't show it; he is different. Each individual is different and that benefits both of us in different ways. When I need to be aggressive he boosts me and when he needs to cool down then I am able to probably help."

In the recent past, the duo have emerged as the team's formidable pair by stitching consistent and memorable partnerships and have been widely seen as an ideal pair to fill the gap left by legendary pairs of Sachin Tendulkar-Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman-Rahul Dravid.

The 28-year-old shared an incident from the Durban Test in 2013 which defines their association the best. "Yes, that partnership with Virat in Durban - A Dale Steyn delivery had hit me on the helmet and I didn't react, I didn't want to, so Virat came and told me 'attack kar isko' (attack him) when your partner gives you a positive response (it boosts your confidence and) I too responded positively sating "yes, I am going to attack." That attitude is inside both of us from the beginning,"Rahane said.

He also pointed out that better and constant communication with his captain off the field has also helped their partnership on the pitch flourish.

"It is important that you trust your partner," said Rahane. "Virat reads the bowler well and I feel that whether it is Virat or someone else if you have trust in your partner then you can enjoy the partnership and it's because of that trust that we began enjoying each other's company. Not only on the field but off the field as well we continue to communicate and that trust is the factor that has helped our partnership.