Rahane joins elite with two hundreds

Dubai: Ajinkya Rahane, the pocket-sized Indian middle order batsman, took a firm step towards emulating his role model Rahul Dravid when he reached the landmark of scoring centuries in either innings of a Test match in the fourth and final tie against South Africa at the Ferozeshah Kotla in New Delhi on Sunday.

With the the Gandhi-Mandela Trophy already tucked away, the hosts look poised to make it 3-0 after Rahane scored a breezy unbeaten 100 on the back of a classy 127 in the first innings. The Mumbai batsman became only the fifth Indian batsman to join an elite club - the other awe-inspiring names being the late Vijay Hazare (once), Sunil Gavaskar (thrice), Rahul Dravid (twice) and Virat Kohli (once).

Chasing a mammoth 481 for win, the South African pair of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers employed an ultra-defensive approach to reach 72 for two at stumps - with a whole day’s play left.

While there was no doubting the class and temperament of Rahane, who had scored four of his six Test centuries abroad since his debut at a home against Australia in 2013, the issue of consistency often continued to dog him. His maiden Test century came against New Zealand in Wellington, following which he was at the forefront of India’s first win at the Lord’s against England after 28 years last year with a 103 and then a brilliant 147 against Australia in Melbourne apart from one against Sri Lanka.

The three-figure knocks at the slow and low pitch of Kotla reflected his growing maturity as a batsman - he was ready to wait for the right balls to be hit and grew in confidence as the innings wore on. A ringing endorsement of his abilities came from none other than the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, who found Rahane the most complete Indian batsman in the current team as he has “done well in all conditions.”

“Rahane is currently the most complete Test batsman in the country. He is brilliant both in attacking and defending. “He has done well everywhere, in all the conditions whereas Virat Kohli struggled in England,” Gavaskar said in his role as a TV pundit on Sunday.