A captain working in stealth: Ajinkya Rahane shows grace under pressure

You didn’t need to look further than Ajinkya Rahane’s face on the final day at the Gabba earlier this week to get a glimpse into his mind. As Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar were in the midst of pummelling the Australian bowlers and steering their team to an unlikely win, India’s stand-in captain cut a figure of implausible poise.

Knowing that victory was now within reach, some among the younger lot on the Indian bench were already celebrating. Rohit Sharma, who was sat next to Rahane, wore a wide grin. Rahane, though, was dispassionate as ever, gently applauding the strokes