Rahane was also the inaugural winner of the Mullagh Medal just after he won the Man of the Match award in the second Test. The Boxing Day Test Player of the Match medal has been named in honour of trailblazing Indigenous cricketer Johnny Mullagh.
Rahane refused to take credit for his Man of the Match show in the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Having hit the winning run to seal the win on Tuesday, the batsman straight away pointed at the brilliant show place on by the group.
“Really proud of all the players. Played really well. Want to give credit to the debutants (Mohammed) Siraj and (Shubman) Gill, the character they showed after the Adelaide loss was great to see,” he mentioned in the post-match presentation.
Harping on the have to have to show character just after getting hammered in the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval, Rahane mentioned: “Character was important for us, especially after losing Umesh in the second innings. That (five-bowler plan) worked well for us nicely. We were thinking of having an all-rounder and Jadeja has been brilliant for us.
“While Gill did not place the stands on fire, he unquestionably weathered the fire thrown at him by the duo of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins. And Rahane was swift to point out how the youngster stood tall. He also praised Siraj for standing up and acquiring counted, particularly with India missing Umesh in the second innings.
“Shubman, we all know his first-class career and in this game, he has shown the intent to play shots at this level. Has shown composure. Siraj has shown that he can bowl with discipline. It’s really difficult for debutants to bowl with discipline but that’s where I think the first-class experience comes in handy,” he pointed.
Commenting on the speak in the dressing space just after losing the initially Test, he mentioned: “The talk was all about showing the attitude and intent on the field. As I said, character. Adelaide was about one hour that took the game away from us. Lots to learn for even now. Australia applied themselves with their last five wickets.”