Cricket became a part of almost every conversation in the sub-continent as Rishabh Pant steered India to a historical Test series win against Australia at the Gabba on January 19.

Ajinkya Rahane took charge as captain after Virat Kohli flew back to India on paternity leave after the first Test. Kohli’s absence did set panic in the ranks as the opposition started licking their chops, hoping for Indian players to behave like headless chickens. Australian cricketers thought they would canter to victory as most of the Indian cricketers were nursing injuries back home.

But Rahane had more than a trick or two up his sleeves.

Head coach Ravi Shastri and Rahane did it in style. While the team deserves the credit for not throwing in the towel and maintaining the momentum to lift the Border-Gavaskar trophy, the lion’s share of the credit should be given to Rahane, who kept his cool and anchored the young and inexperienced playing XI.

Also read: Not about me but about the team, says Ajinkya Rahane on captaincy and series win

Now the next task for Team India is to humble the mighty English cricket team in their own backyard. Although Rahane said he is happy to take the backseat with Kohli returning to the side, don’t you think it also is an opportune time to let Kohli solely focus on his batting by keeping the Test captaincy mantle aside?

What do the stats say?

From 2014 to 2020, Virat Kohli has captained India in 56 Tests with a win percentage of 58.92. However, the Indian batting maverick also has 13 losses under his belt and 10 draws.

Rahane, on the other hand, has an 80% winning record as Test captain. Out of the five Tests, he has won on four occasions and conjured a draw once.

For Rahane, it all started in Dharamshala. The 32-year-old has always been India’s stand-in captain, achieving success nonchalantly. In 2017, when Rahane stepped into Kohli’s shoes in the final Test against Australia in India, he not only won India the final Test but also the series.

A year later, India, hosting Afghanistan for a lone Test, won the match…under Rahane’s captaincy. Do you remember the time Rahane called the Afghan team to pose with the trophy during the post-match presentation? Classic stuff, that was.

Whenever an opportunity has cropped up, Rahane has, time and again, taken up the task and completed it effortlessly.

Yes, what sets Kohli and Rahane apart is not only their cricketing guile but their personality, as well. While one is fire, the other is ice. One is amped up all the time and the other, cool as a cucumber.

However, the former India international and former national coach Anshuman Gaekwad is of the opinion that it is not time yet for Rahane to take over the reins.

“One cannot deny the role of Virat in bringing this team together and taking it to a different level. It is the result of that long process that we see Rahane being ready for the job and despite missing out on six key players, India still delivered and won the series,” Gaekwad told The Hindu.

In the recently concluded Australian series, Rahane showed character and temperament. Rotating bowlers at regular intervals, not changing his tactic rapidly, waiting for it to bear dividends, keeping the team in place, and pushing them to do better.

Also read: India aim to continue winning streak against England

Although one might say Kohli has a better success rate than Rahane and maybe he is the one to lead the team, one cannot discount the efforts and times when Rahane took over the mantle and laced it with one victory after another.

One must ponder – Does this wet-behind-the-ears Indian team need an aggressive leader like Kohli or calm and composed Rahane?

“Let’s not forget that even Virat has done so well and played a key role in bringing the side so far. It was under him that we won the series in Australia in 2018-19. Rahane is a good captain but one could only think of changing leadership, only if there is a need. For now, it may not be needed,” former India cricketer Chandu Borde told The Hindu.

The question remains: Is Rahane ready for the Test captaincy, keeping in mind only the handful of Tests he has captained?

Although England veteran Monty Panesar has put a 2021 World Cup deadline to Kohli’s captaincy, it remains to be seen how the bright minds of cricket in this hemisphere take stock of Kohli’s performance.