Ajinkya Rahane's gesture towards Jadeja after run out wins praise on Twitter

Virat Kohli was batting on 74 against Australia in the Adelaide. He was looking fluent, and well on his way to scoring his first hundred of 2020.

But, fate had other things in store for him. His batting partner Ajinkya Rahane pushed a delivery of Nathan Lyon to the mid-off and called for a single. Kohli set off in his usual sprinter-like mode. Just when he had reached the middle of the pitch, Rahane scurried back to the crease. Kohli turned, and even though he made a dash for the non-striker's end, he fell short. The run out will be remembered as one of the turning points of the game.

Fast forward to the second Test in Melbourne. Another run out strikes India, at a time when they were in the driver's seat and could have buried the match by stretching the lead. This time too, Ajinkya Rahane was involved in the mix-up with Ravindra Jadeja as his partner.

And just like Kohli, who accepted the incident as a part of the game, Rahane too showed leadership mettle and his gesture towards Jadeja has justifiably earned the praise of many Twitter users, who applauded the stand-in captain for his sportsmanship.

Will Ravindra Jadeja put that run-out of Ajinkya Rahane behind him and convert his fifty into a hundred? https://t.co/nHEJAcq4Zi #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/7adIayugVC

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 28, 2020

India started Day 3 with a lead of 82 runs. Rahane was batting on 104, playing an innings of a lifetime, and Jadeja at 40 was playing the role of a perfect batting partner. When Jadeja was on 49, he pushed a delivery from Nathan Lyon with soft hands towards the offside and immediately called for a single despite the huge risk involved. Rahane responded to his partner and darted towards the striker's end where Tim Paine dislodged the bails. It was a tight call, and the third umpire finally decided that Rahane was run out.

When the decision of out flashed on the big screen, Rahane tapped Jadeja on the chest with his eyes still fixed on the screen, encouraging the southpaw to extend India's lead, assuring him that it was not his fault and advising not to let the run out affect his batting.

1st Test match - A well Set Indian Captain was Runout and the Match changed completely
2nd test Match - A well Set Indian Captain is runout again.
Will this change the match here????#AUSvINDtest #AUSvIND #INDvAUS #IndianCricketTeam @BCCI @cricketaakash

— RAHUL AGRAWAL (@RAHUL2494) December 28, 2020

Rahane's sportsmanship is superb...even Jadeja got him out, encouraged him to continue without any burden. Great gesture!!#INDvAUS

— Ankur Kumar (@ankurkumar78) December 28, 2020

Excellent Gesture by @ajinkyarahane88 to keep Jaddu motivated and letting him know that job not yet done..👍#BoxingDay #boxingday2020 #BoxingDayTest #AUSvIND #AUSvsIND #AUSvINDtest #INDvAUS #Australia #ausvsindonsony #Aus #India #IndianCricketTeam #AjinkyaRahane #RavindraJadeja pic.twitter.com/1r94OnH05W

— 🇮🇳🇮🇳 शुभम दोहरे 🇮🇳🇮🇳 (@Shubhamdohare9) December 28, 2020

Ajinkya Rahane‘s response towards teammate Ravendra Jadeja after being run out speaks volumes for his leadership ... given the circumstances he played one of the finest innings by a visiting captain to AUS ... outstanding knock 👏🏏 #AUSvIND

— Glenn Mitchell (@MitchellGlenn) December 28, 2020