‘Have tried asking him, but he doesn't give it away’: Rahane on Virat Kohli's chasing secrets

London: Fresh off announcing his retirement from international cricket, former Indian middle-order pillar Ajinkya Rahane has opened up about his time sharing the dressing room and crease with legendary former Test captain Virat Kohli. Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast hosted by Sir Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan, Phil Tufnell, and David "Bumble" Lloyd, Rahane shed light on the camaraderie that fuelled their successful Test partnership and revealed how Kohli kept his white-ball chase calculations closely guarded, even from his closest teammates.

The Secret Behind Kohli’s Run-Chases

Despite playing together for over a decade, Rahane shared that Kohli never revealed the exact mental formulas he used when anchoring high-pressure white-ball chases.

"It is his mind and the calculation in his mind. But that's his secret. I've tried to ask him many times, but he does not give it away. He will not give you any clue. His ability to take calculated risks at the perfect time is the key. MS Dhoni was like that too. But the calculations in Virat's head were something else," he said.

Fire and Ice: A Complementary Test Duo

During Kohli’s tenure as Test skipper, Rahane served as his trusted deputy and non-striker. Rahane explained that their contrasting personalities—Kohli’s intense aggression combined with Rahane’s calm demeanor—created a natural balance out in the middle, particularly during challenging tours like Australia.

"We complemented each other very well because of his aggressive nature and my calm nature. The reason behind our successful partnerships was the positive and frank communication. We had many good partnerships against Australia. And in those, whenever Virat thought of going against a particular bowler and if my response was positive, he would do it better," said Ajinkya.

"Virat always liked people coming after him. And he used to ask me if he should sledge the opposition player back. I would tell him, 'Yes, go for it' as that's what worked for him. Our camaraderie was great, and we used to spend a lot of time with each other even off the field. We used to talk a lot about cricket, which you don't see nowadays. He was always positive and used to tell me never to hesitate in attacking a bowler."

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Encouraging Natural Aggression

Rahane noted that Kohli never asked him to play against his natural instincts, constantly encouraging him to play his shots right from the start of an innings:

"He was always positive. He said, 'Just play your game'. For me, naturally I was.. I'm an attacking cricketer, attacking batsman. So he said, 'If you feel like going after a particular bowler, don't hesitate at all'. So he was always positive. He never told me, 'Okay, let's see how it feels, let's see, or take out 10-15 balls and then play your game'. 'If you feel like going after the first ball, go for it'," Ajinkya signed off.

Rahane & Kohli: By the Numbers

The duo stands as India's fifth-most productive Test partnership of all time, amassing 3,661 runs across 67 innings at an average of 56.32. Their alliance produced 10 century stands and 17 half-century stands, headlined by a mammoth 365-run partnership against New Zealand in 2016—the highest 4th-wicket stand for India in Test history. (ANI)