In a series where the average score of batsmen has been a meagre 19.04 so far, Ajinkya Rahane scored the first century yesterday at Feroz Shah Kotla – a knock that typified his character in more ways than one.
The 27-year-old Indian really should have had a more flamboyant celebration than his rather muted swish of the bat, followed by the outstretched hands towards the sky and an acknowledgement to the crowd.
Runs have been really hard to get in this India v South Africa series. There have been just five half centuries scored. More importantly, it was Rahane’s first hundred in India, and the bulk of his runs came after India were in a precarious situation at 139-6 on a pitch that assisted the bowlers, but was nowhere near as spiteful as the one in the previous Test match in Nagpur.
In a short career, Rahane has shown he is a truly global player, viable in all conditions, the kind Ind need to become a great test side.
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) December 4, 2015
And then there was the shot that brought up his hundred. There could not have been a better way to bring up a milestone. Very few batsmen in the world can execute the straight drive with as much elan as Rahane did against Kyle Abbott. The balance was perfect, so was the position of his head and leading elbow, as he punched the ball back towards the bowler with the most exquisite of timing.
The quality of that boundary alone would have elicited a far greater emotional response from any other batsman in world cricket. And yet, Rahane was just being himself when he was quickly back in his crease, took fresh guard, and it was business as usual.
That is quintessential Rahane. There is never a fuss, never a drama with him around. He happily and forever remains in Clark Kent mode even when he is doing the work Superman would be proud of.
The Mumbai star has been the most selfless member of the Indian team in recent years. His versatility in batting position has become a bane for him – tossed around from one place to another in both Test and ODI teams – but Rahane has always risen to the occasion.
He has never had the luxury of being pampered like Rohit Sharma in the team, nor has he enjoyed the kind of hype Cheteshwar Pujara has enjoyed. And yet, whenever difficult questions have been asked, he is the one who seems to have the answers ever since making his debut in 2013.
In this instance, it was a fitting reply to those who were critical of his record while playing at home. For someone who has scored Test centuries in almost every country he has toured (the failure, if it can be called that, is a 96 in South Africa), Rahane’s average was less than eight in the four Test matches he played in India.
A couple of things stood out in his innings, in which he got one life when on 78. He was aggressive throughout the innings, not afraid to play his shots even when more than half the side was back in the pavilion. The other point worth mentioning is how straight his bat was when playing the spinners – really the key to surviving on turning pitches.
Hopefully, there will be more respect for him in the Indian set-up after this knock. But even if the situation remains unchanged – Rahane will carry on regardless.
