India skipper Ajinkya Rahane made some smart decisions on the field on the first day of India's second Test against Australia and followed that up with a "fantastic knock" on Day 2, former India captain Sachin Tendulkar said on Sunday.
In a series of tweets, Tendulkar, 47, praised Rahane's captaincy and the efforts of the bowlers and debutant Shubman Gill.
He also said that Rahane's unbeaten 104-run stand for the fifth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja, who will start Day 3 on 40, may have taken the game away from Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
"Two good days for India in the 2nd Test. @Jaspritbumrah93, @ashwinravi99 & Mohammed Siraj bowled really well and continued to keep the pressure on to restrict Australia to a low total. Well done by the stand-in captain Ajinkya, who made some real smart bowling changes coupled...with good field placements," Tendulkar tweeted.
"@RealShubmanGill got off to a good start on debut with some good shots and looked comfortable at the crease. @ajinkyarahane88 and @imjadeja have stitched a very crucial partnership which may just take the game away from Australia.
"Last but not least, fantastic knock by @ajinkyarahane88 who not only looked solid in his defence but was also looking to play attacking shots. He kept the momentum going really well," said Tendulkar.
Rahane, who is captaining the Indian team in the second, third and fourth Tests of the series in the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli, scored a masterful 104 off 200 balls as he anchored India to a lead of 82 runs on Day 2 of the Boxing Day Test. India are trailing 1-0 in the series.