Bouncers whizzing pass through his nose and mistimed shots summed up Ajinkya Rahane’s initial stay at the crease in the third Test. Seeing what had transpired on the pitch, little had Rahane or anyone envisioned that he would go on to make his highest score in Tests.
Appearing in his 29th Test, Rahane bettered his previous high score of 147 against Australia as he went on to score 188 runs. With 18 fours and 4 sixes in his innings, Rahane’s game-play post his initial sufferings was exquisite.
Ajinkya Rahane 188 – 4th highest by an Indian #5 in Tests after Laxman 200* and Azhar 199 & 192#IndvNZ
— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) October 9, 2016
In an interview with Indian Express, Rahane confessed that he struggled during his innings but this knock is one of the best that he has played in his career so far.
Ajinkya Rahane…
8th Test hundred
6th in the first innings
3rd hundred at home
2nd vs NZ
2nd of 2016
5th at #5
28th in fc cricket#IndvNZ— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) October 9, 2016
“This innings was really special and the partnership too (with captain Virat Kohli). We were 100 for 3 and from there getting 365 is really special, said Rahane.
Rahane who averages above 50 in his 49 innings at the Test level said the conditions at Indore were extreme.“It was hot out there today. I was struggling yesterday against the short ball and Virat told me to take my time. Today I wanted to dominate after getting the hundred. This partnership will stay in memory for a long time,” an elated Rahane said.
WATCH: Rahane celebrates his eighth Test century
(Video Courtesy: Facebook/Indian Cricket Team)
“It was hot out there today. I was struggling yesterday against the short ball and Virat told me to take my time. Today I wanted to dominate after getting the hundred. This partnership will stay in memory for a long time,” an elated Rahane said.
“I take credit for the way I handled things yesterday when they were bowling short and I rate this 100 up there,” said the soft-spoken Mumbaikar.
He said that yesterday the fourth wicket pair talked mainly about cricket in the middle but today they wanted to have fun with it being hot in the middle.
“We were talking about partnership yesterday but today it was hot and humid. We did not discuss too much about cricket. We wanted to have fun. The partnership was very crucial and we had decided to attack after getting our hundreds. We wanted their fast bowlers to bowl so that we could attack.
“In this innings, I struggled but it’s important to enjoy and tackle it which is what counts. As a batsman, it’s important to face the next ball calmly after being beaten. This showed me what Test cricket is all about. I needed 200 to 230 balls to reach my 100.”
“Today I was really happy they were bowling short balls as I knew they will give me runs. Yesterday, I struggled but today it was different. Once I got my hundred with Jeetan Patel and Santner came on to bowl, I wanted to play my normal cricket shots.
“Virat came up to me and told me yesterday not to worry even though I was struggling. He was batting so well and fluently. He said it does not matter whether you are getting hit. Tomorrow if you are there you will dominate.”
“My approach was good. I struggled but it’s no shame to struggle. How you overcome it is important,” he added. Rahane said the aim of the Indian team was to bat on for long and tire the New Zealanders out.
“We knew spots were being created for our bowlers. It was important to keep the New Zealand team on the field for long as they would be tired. Tomorrow will be crucial. The wicket is slightly better for batting and we need to be patient. But we expect the wicket to become slower.”
He also said he had prepared for the series by playing on slow wickets in Mumbai.
“Hard work is part of my routine. Preparations are always important for me. I practised in Mumbai for 5-6 days. I practised on slow wickets as in India they are slow and spin-friendly and each track is different. Here for example, some balls came slow and some fast.”
He said it was important to take things match by match.
“This will give us confidence but it’s a long season ahead. It’s important to play series by series and match by match. It will be important to play as a team. We are No 1 (in ranking) at the moment and it’s important to play consistent cricket.”
Twitter was flooded with congratulatory messages from former India cricketers:
Well played, Ajinkya Rahane. Man for all seasons, man for all reasons. Massive respect for the way he fought in this innings. #IndvsNZ
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) October 9, 2016
Congrats @ajinkyarahane88 U might have missed a 200 but u have won lot of hearts.Appreciate ur selfless attitude Team above urself @BCCI
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) October 9, 2016
211 for captain @imVkohli 188 for vice captain @ajinkyarahane88 bhut badiya Subash..
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) October 9, 2016
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