Ajinkya Rahane has been one of India’s most accomplished batsmen over the last couple of years. With runs in New Zealand, South Africa, England and Australia, he has proved that he is a man for all conditions. However, his Test record at home had been strangely ordinary, with a highest of 15 in six innings. All that changed in the first innings of the Delhi Test against South Africa, when he played a patient, skilful and attractive innings of 127 to take India to a formidable position in the match. Coming in to bat at 66 for 3, Rahane strung up crucial partnerships with Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin to get India out of the jail and put 334 runs on the board. Rahane’s was the first century of this low scoring series that also fetched the first 300-plus score of the series. This knock was special for Rahane for various reasons. First, it was at this very ground, the Feroz Shah Kotla, that young Rahane played his first Test match, in 2013. He had scored of 7 and 1 in that Test and this knock reminded him how far he had come in his journey. What made Rahane happier was that his first Test hundred in India has taken his team to a position of strength at the end of the second day of the match. At stumps on Day-2, India had dismissed South Africa for 121, gaining a lead of 213 runs. In a chat with BCCI.TV, Rahane spoke about his innings and how a little bit of patience helped him get through the early tricky phase. Your first Test century in India. Must feel very special.

It does feel special, more so because this is where I made my Test debut against Australia and there are many memories attached to this place. It is my first Test century in India and it has helped the team get in a good position. Our bowlers did extremely well to get us to the position we are in. This knock gives me a lot of satisfaction because it has taken the team where it is in this Test match. How did you change your approach for this innings? I was very determined to score big in this innings. I was batting well throughout the series but I didn’t spend much time at the wicket, which was the key. I made a conscious effort here to take my time initially and not rush into my shots. The patience that I showed during those first 30-35 runs benefitted me a lot throughout the rest of the innings. How challenging has this series been as a batting unit?

It has been challenging for the batsmen. But the good thing is that the lower order batsmen have made substantial contributions throughout the series. Jadeja has consistently scored 20-30 runs, Amit Mishra and Ashwin have done well with the bat too. Our batsmen too have made a good effort. In Nagpur, those 30-40 runs were also very crucial. But having said that, as a batting unit we got to learn a lot in this series as to which areas we can improve on. The team is very flexible in its combination in terms of whether to play four or five bowlers. You are sort of a link between the middle and the lower order. How does your approach change depending on that? My approach changes depending on my partner. If I am batting with a tailender, it is important for me to trust him and give him that confidence while batting. Today, when I was batting with Ashwin during our partnership, I didn’t say much because I knew he can bat very well. We just decided to bat normally and if there is a ball to be hit, go for it. If I am batting with a bowler, I make it a point to communicate with them constantly and make them believe that they can bat well too.