Birthday special: Ajinkya Rahane – Top 5 moments from his career
Ajinkya Rahane is one of the finest batters that India has seen in the longest format of the game. He has seen several ups and downs in his international career, losing the vice-captaincy being one of them. Even after a fallout in the format in January 2022, Rahane will be making his comeback in the whites when India and Australia square off in the World Test Championship 2023 Final.
As he turns 35, let us look at the top 5 moments from his cricket career:
Test century at Lord’s
After being put to bat first by England, the audience anticipated the in-form Virat Kohli to showcase his masterclass. But to everyone’s surprise, Ajinkya Rahane rose to the occasion and etched his name onto the Lord’s honour board. His 154-ball 103 helped India get to 295 from a point in time when they were reeling at 83/3. His knock, which included 15 fours and one six, proved to be the key factor in what was India’s first victory at Lord’s since 1986.
5th Indian batter to score centuries in both innings of a Test
During the 2015 Test against South Africa in Delhi, Rahane pulled off a heist by notching up twin centuries in the fourth Test of the series, thereby leading India to a massive victory. After hitting a 215-ball 127 in the first innings and taking India to 334 runs, Rahane brought up an unbeaten 100 off 206 deliveries before India declared the innings. Brilliance by bowlers later in the game helped India clinch a 337-run victory
Graciously invited Afghanistan players to join Team India after their debut Test
When India hosted Afghanistan in a one-off Test in June 2018, the hosts clinched a memorable victory on just the second day at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Though Afghanistan lost their first-ever Test match by an innings and 262 runs, India’s stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane, in a heart-warming gesture, invited the visiting skipper Asghar Stanikzai to pose with the Indian team after the conclusion of the game.
Led India to one of their greatest series wins against Australia (BGT 2020-21)
The Border Gavaskar Trophy of 2020-21 remains to be one of India’s most memorable victories down under. From a point where it looked like the hosts would not let the visitors win a single game, India clinched a historic 2-1 victory. Since regular skipper Virat Kohli left the team midway through the series to witness the birth of his daughter, Rahane led the Indian side to an emotional and remarkable series win.
Finished IPL 2023 with a strike rate of 172 for CSK
The recently concluded Indian Premier League 2023 proved to be one of the finest seasons for Ajinkya Rahane, who made his appearance for the Chennai Super Kings. The eventual champions showed faith in the now 35-year-old and backed him throughout the tournament as he proved the team with his performances. With his skills, he took CSK home in several games and finished the cash-rich event with a jaw-dropping strike rate of 172.
