Rahane wants to emulate Dhoni, Kohli, Dravid

Mumbai, July 1
Following his appointment as India's skipper for the tour of Zimbabwe, Ajinkya Rahane said he would like to imbibe Mahendra Singh Dhoni's calmness, Virat Kohli's controlled aggression and Rahul Dravid's simplicity when he leads the side in the upcoming series.

"Playing under Dhoni I would observe how he would be calm on the field. I would like to take that quality from him. I would like to take controlled aggression from Virat. Finally, Rahul bhai is someone who likes to keep things really simple on the field. I would like to take these from the three captains," Rahane was quoted as saying by bcci.tv on Tuesday.

The right-handed batsman was on Monday named captain of the 15-member team that will tour Zimbabwe from July 7 to 20 to play three One-Day Internationals (ODI) and two Twenty20 Internationals. Dhoni and Kohli among other seniors have been rested. India face the hosts in the first ODI on July 10.

"I have my own set of ideas and I know what I have to do on the field. Obviously I have others to help me out as well and I wouldn't mind running up to them for advice," he said.

The 27-year-old pointed out that the decision came as a surprise to him, adding that he would gather a lot of confidence leading the national side.

"The decision of naming me captain did come as a surprise because I wasn't thinking about captaincy ever. I am sure this move will take me forward and I will strive to do my best. It is a new challenge and responsibility in my career and I am looking forward to it," he said.

"Being the captain will give me a lot of confidence. Captaining India is huge and I am proud of this little achievement. I know my work ethic and I will achieve success step by step."

Speaking about what brand of captaincy he would like to display, the Mumbai batsman said he would assess the situation, conditions and analyse every opposition and implement his style of leading the side.

"As a captain you have to think about a lot of things. You have to assess the situation and conditions and analyse every opposition. I am just looking forward to back my instincts and back my style of leadership," said Rahane, who became the eighth Mumbaikar to lead India.

"Every cricketer has his own style of playing the game and captaining the side. I am sure that my little experiences as captain at the junior level will help me here."

Speaking about the upcoming tour and the opposition, the new skipper said, "We would like to finish on a high and we want to do well in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe have been playing well of late and put up a spirited performance in the World Cup. As a captain and a team player I want to do well and come out winning."