Dhoni a great teacher, an inspiration: Rahane

Rahane is certain Steve Smith, the Australian captain and the franchise skipper, will seek Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s advice during the 2017 Indian Premier League.

Speaking in a promotional event, Rahane said, “A person like Dhoni teaches a lot even with his presence. He doesn’t speak much, but when he does, he leaves you inspired.”

Rahane added that it was necessary to give Smith the space as he was the captain and said that Dhoni’s presence served as an inspiration not just for Indian players but also for overseas players.

During the fourth Test against Australia in Dharamsala, India suffered a big blow when Virat Kohli was ruled out due to a shoulder injury. Rahane stepped up and led magnificently as India defeated Australia by eight wick

Rahane, who joined a select group of Indian captains who had secured a Test victory on debut, said a phone call from Sachin Tendulkar made the difference.

“Before the match, I got a call from Sachin. He also asked me to follow my instincts. It inspired me. As a captain, I knew I am a different person. On the ground, I knew I had seniors with me, but at the end, I had to take calls. Throughout the match, I wanted to follow my style,” Rahane said.

RPS have a problem of plenty team consists of Rahane, Smith Dhoni and Faf du Plessis, all who have captained the country.

When Dhoni was no appointed the captain of RPS there was criticism. However, the team owner Sanjiv Goenka said the team was targeting a better showing after a poor show in the 2016 edition of the tournamen and Smith was appointed to revamp the side.

In the previous year, Rising Pune Supergiants managed to avoid the wooden spoon to Kings